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How  to  promote  &  conduct  a 
successful  revival 


How  to  Promote  &  Con- 
duct a  Successful   Revival 


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How  to  Promote  <£^Con- 
duct  a  Successful  Revival 


With  Suggestive  Outlines 


EDITED    BY 


R.  A,  TORREY 

Author  of  "How  to  Bring  Men  to  Christ"  "What  the  Bible 
Teaches,"  etc.,  etc. 


New   York 

Fleming  H.  Revell  Company 


London 


Edinburgh 


COPYRIGHT,  I9OI, 
BY  FLEMING  H. 
RKVELL     COMPANY 


INTRODUCTION  TO  FOURTH  EDITION 

The  first  edition  of  this  book  was  published  the  year 
before  we  began  our  evangelistic  tour  around  the  world. 
For  two  years  or  more  hundreds  of  us  had  been  praying 
together  for  a  world-wide  revival  and  we  had  reached  the 
point  where  we  were  absolutely  sure  that  the  revival  was 
coming,  and  this  book  was  prepared  as  a  preparation  for 
that  revival  and  as  a  help  to  it.  I  had  not  decided  at  that 
time  to  go  around  the  world.  The  decision  was  made 
shortly  afterwards.  In  looking  over  the  book  since  my 
return  home,  I  have  been  surprised  to  see  how  closely  we 
have  followed  the  lines  of  action  suggested  in  this  book, 
and  have  been  rejoiced  to  see  how  God  has  set  His  seal 
upon  the  principles  enunciated  in  the  book.  At  the  time 
that  the  book  was  given  to  the  public,  the  editor  was 
known  more  as  a  Bible  teacher  and  as  a  pastor  than  as  an 
evangelist.  His  evangelistic  activity  had  been  largely 
confined  to  those  churches  of  which  he  himself  was  pastor. 
Since  the  publication  of  the  book,  God  has  seen  fit  to 
lead  him  out  into  the  evangelistic  field  and  he  has  had 
the  privilege  of  applying  on  a  very  wide  scale  the  princi- 
ples which  he  enunciates  in  the  book  and  he  has  found 
that  these  principles  work  successfully,  even  beyond  his 
own  anticipation.  I  am  more  firmly  convinced  than  ever 
of  the  truth  of  the  statement  found  on  the  eighteenth 
page  of  the  book : 

"  When  any  church  can  be  brought  to  the  place  where 
they  will  recognize  their  need  of  the  Holy  Spirit,  and 


INTRODUCTION  TO  FOURTH  EDITION 

take  their  eyes  off  from  all  men,  and  surrender  absolutely 
to  the  Holy  Spirit's  control,  and  give  themselves  to  much 
prayer  for  His  outpouring,  and  present  themselves  as  His 
agents,  having  stored  the  Word  of  God  in  their  heads  and 
hearts,  and  then  look  to  the  Holy  Spirit  to  give  it  power 
as  it  falls  from  their  lips,  a  mighty  revival  in  the  power  of 
the  Holy  Ghost  is  inevitable." 

R.  A.  TORREY. 


PREFACE 

Revival  is  in  the  air.  Thoughtful  ministers  and 
Christians  everywhere  are  talking  about  a  revival, 
expecting  a  revival,  and,  best  of  all,  praying  for  a 
revival.  There  seems  to  be  little  doubt  that  a  revival 
of  some  kind  is  coming,  but  the  important  question  is, 
What  kind  of  a  revival  will  it  be?  Will  it  be  a  true 
revival,  sent  of  God  because  His  people  have  met  the 
conditions  that  make  it  possible  for  God  to  work  with 
power,  or  will  it  be  a  spurious  revival  gotten  up  by 
the  arts  and  devices  of  man?  A  business  man  who  is 
in  touch  with  religious  movements  in  all  parts  of  the 
country  said  to  me  recently,  *' There  is  little  doubt 
that  a  revival  of  some  kind  is  coming,  and  the  revival 
that  is  coming  will  be  either  the  greatest  blessing  or 
the  greatest  curse  that  has  ever  visited  the  church  of 
Christ." 

There  are  many  who  are  trying  to  promote  a  revival 
by  pushing  to  the  front  doctrines  that  have  never  pro- 
duced a  revival  in  all  the  history  of  the  church  of 
Christ.  These  doctrines  are  called  new,  but  they  are 
in  reality  as  old  as  the  early  heresies  that  crept  into 
the  church.     They  have  never  had  power  in  the  past 


6  PREFACE 

to  produce  conviction  of  sin,  conversion  or  regenera- 
tion, so  presumably  they  will  not  have  that  power 
to-day. 

Others  are  advocating  a  forward  movement  along 
lines  utterly  untried,  and  that  seem  to  have  little 
promise  in  them.  Some  of  the  methods  described  in 
this  book  will  doubtless  appear  novel  to  many,  but 
they  are  methods  that  have  been  tried  and  proved 
effective.  There  is  absolutely  no  mere  theorizing  in 
the  book.  Men  whom  God  has  used  in  winning  souls 
to  Christ  and  building  up  believers,  have  been  asked 
to  write  out  of  their  own  experience.  No  one  who  has 
been  asked  to  write  has  declined.  Such  a  book  as  this 
seems  to  be  an  absolute  necessity  of  the  hour.  There 
are  thousands  of  ministers  and  other  Christian  workers 
in  the  land  longing  for  a  true  revival  of  God's  work, 
but  with  no  experimental  or  even  theoretical  knowl- 
edge of  how  to  go  to  work  to  promote  such  a  revival. 
It  is  our  earnest  prayer  and  confident  expectation  that 
this  book  will  prove  helpful  to  all  such 


CONTENTS 

PAGB 

The  Holy  Spirit  in  a  Revival — R.  A.  Torrey  .  1 1 
The  Place  of  Prayer  in  a  Revival — R.  A.  Torrey  i  9 
The  Preaching  Needed  in  Revivals — Rev.  Louis 

Albert  Banks,  D.D 32 

The  Minister  as  an  Evangelist — Rev.  William 

Patterson 3^ 

Organizing    for    Revival    Work — Rev  Len.   G. 

boughton 55 

The  Sunday-School  Teacher  as  a  Soul-Winner 

— Marion  Lawrance 66 

Decision  Day  in  the  Sunday-School — Rev.  H.  W. 

Pope  76 

The  Conversion  of  Children — Rev.  E.  P.  Ham- 
mond AND  R.  a.  Torrey 94 

The    Importance    of     Open     Air     Work — Rev. 

William  Evans m 

The  Use  of  Tracts  and  other   Literature  to 

Promote  a  Revival — Rev.  H.  W.  Pope      .     .125 

Personal  Work— R.  A.  Torrey 145 

Drawing  the  Net — R.  A.  Torrey 157 

The  After-Meeting — Rev.  A.  C.  Dixon,  D.D.  .  162 
How  TO  Make  the  Work  Permanent — Rev.  E.  P. 

Goodwin,  D.D 172 

How  TO  Make  a  Success  of  the  Christian  Life — 

R.  A.  Torrey 184 

Music  in  a  Revival — Prof.  D.  B.  Towner  .  .  .191 
Advertising  the  Meetings — A.  F.  Gaylord    .     .  198 

7 


8  CONTENTS 

PAGE 

How  TO  Win  Souls  for  Christ — C  H.  Spurgeon.  207 
The  Great  Revival  of  1857-58 — C.  H.  Spurgeon.   227 

Miscellaneous 248 

The  Work  of  the  Spirit — Rev.  Joshua   Stans- 

field 248 

Honoring  the  Holy  Spirit— Rev.  W.  S.  Har- 
rington, D.D 251 

The  Revival  with  a  Plan — Rev,  Isaac  Crook, 

D.D ...   252 

Seven  Vital  Paragraphs — Charles  W.  Baldwin  255 

Praying-Bands — B.  H.  Hart 256 

Getting  Under  Way — W.  P.  Macvey  .  .  .257 
An  Important  Facter  in  Revivals — Rev.  Louis 

Albert  Banks,  D.D 258 

Exalt  Personal  Effort— Rev.  Geo.  B.  Wight, 

D.D.  258 

An  Unlooked-for  Revival — Rev.  Robert  Watt, 

D.D 260 

O  for  a  Baptism  of  Prayer! — Mrs.  M.  N.  Van 

Benschoten       .     .     .     , 263 

Suggestive  Outlines 264 

Regeneration — D.  L.  M 264 

The  Gospel,  I.— D.  L.  M 265 

The  Gospel,  II.— D.  L.  M .   265 

Christ  as  a  Deliverer — D.  L.  M 266 

Compassion  of  Christ — D.  L.  M 266 

Christ's  Mission  to  the  World — D.  L.  M.    .     .267 

Retribution — D.  L.  M 267 

Love— D.  L.  M 268 

Confessing  Christ — D.  L.  M 268 

Seeking  the  Lord— D.  L.  M.     ......  268 

Grace,  I.— D.  L.  M 269 

Grace,  II.— D.  L.  M 269 


CONTENTS  9 


PAOK 


What  Will  You  Do  with  Jesus?— D.  L.  M.  .  269 
On  Trusting  in  the  Mercy  of  God — C.  G.  F.  .  269 
The  Savior  Lifted  Up,  and  the  Look  of  Faith 

—C.  G.  F 271 

The  Excuses  of  Sinners  Condemn  God — C.  G.  F.  273 
The  Spirit  not  Striving  Always— C.  G.  F.  .275 
God's  Love  Commended  to  us — C.  G.  F.    .     .277 

Salvation  of  the  Lord— C.  H.  S 278 

Salvation  to  the  Uttermost — C.  H.  S.     .     .     .279 

The  Royal  Prerogative— C.  H.  S 280 

Salvation  by  Knowing  the  Truth— C.  H.  S.  .281 
The  Plain  Man's  Pathway  to  Peace— C.  H.  S.  282 
The  Great  Arbitration  Case— C.  H.  S.  .  .  .  284 
Only  Trust  Him!  Only  Trust  Him!— C.  H.  S.   285 

Jesus  Only— C.  H.  S 287 

Faith:  What  is  it?     How  Can  it  be  Obtained? 

— C.  H.  S 288 

All  Things  are  Ready.  Come — C.  H.  S.  .  290 
Every  Man's  Need  of  a  Hiding  Place — R.A.T.   291 

Refuges  of  Lies — R.  A.  T 293 

A  Solemn  Question — R.  A.  T 294 

What  it  Costs  not  to  be  a  Christian — R.  A.  T.   295 

How  Shall  We  Escape?— R.  A.  T 295 

To-day"— R.  A.  T 296 

David's  Sin— R.  A.  T. 297 

What  Shall  We  Do  With  Jesus?— R.  A.  T.  .298 
What  Are  You  Waiting  For?— R.  A.  T.     .     .   299 

The  Price  of  Power.— R.  A.  T 300 

The  Drama  ot  Life  in  Three  Acts— R.  A.  T.  300 
Infidelity:  Its  Causes,  Consequences  and  Cure 

— R.  A.  T 301 

Eternal  Life,  or  the  Wrath  of  God — Which — 

R.  A.  T 302 


lo  CONTENTS 

PAOB 

Suggestive  Outlines  by  C.  B 303 

The  Water  of  Life— C.  1 309 

Repentance — C.  1 310 

Forgiveness — C.  I ,  .310 

A  Sevenfold  View  of  the  Love  of  God— C    L  310 
Ten  Steps  in  the  Prodigal's  Life — C   I  ,311 

Justification — C.  1 311 

Redemption — C.  I ,?ii 

Mercy — C.  I sm 

Sin— C.  I ,  312 

Jesus,  the  Friend — H.  M 312 

Rules  for  Evangelists — M.  R.        ....         313 

Conversion — F.  S 314 

He  Still  Waits— F.  S 315 

A  Great  Conditional  Promise — F.  S.      .     .     .316 

Christ  Our  Example — F.  S 316 

Christ  Our  Mighty  One — F.  S 317 

Christ  Our  Friend— F.  S 317 

Saving  the  Lost— R.  A.  T 317 

God-Given  Conviction— R.  A.  T 318 

Saved— R.  A.  T 319 

How  to  Become  Sons  of  God — C.  N.  H.     .     .320 

* 'God  Calling  F^/"—C.  N.  H 321 

** Convicted,  but  Not  Regenerated"— C.  N.  H.   322 
*'Salvation:"     A  Lawyer's  View — C.    N.   H.   323 

*'Christ  or  the  Robber"— C.  N.  H 324 

God's  Justice  and  His  Mercy — C.  N.  H.      .     .  325 
Topics  and  Texts  for  Sermons  and  Bible  Read- 
ings        326 


HOW  TO  PROMOTE  AND  CON- 
DUCT A  SUCCESSFUL  REVIVAL 

THE  HOLY  SPIRIT  IN  A  REVIVAL 

BY  R.    A.    TORREY 

Two  passages  of  Scripture  might  well  form  the 
watchwords  of  every  true  revival,  watchwords  that 
should  never  for  a  moment  be  forgotten.  The  first  is 
a  portion  of  Zech.  4:  6,  '*Not  by  might  nor  by  power, 
but  by  my  spirit,  saith  the  Lord  of  Hosts";  the  second 
is,  "It  is  the  Spirit  that  quickeneth,  the  flesh  profiteth 
nothing"  (John  6:6$).  In  the  conduct  of  any  real 
revival,  the  Holy  Ghost  must  occupy  the  place  of 
supreme  and  absolute  control.  Revival  is  new  life,  and 
only  the  Holy  Ghost  can  impart  life. 

I.     THE    HOLY    spirit's    PART    IN    A  REVIVAL 

Let  us  look  definitely  at  the  Holy  Spirit's  part  in  a 
revival,  or,  in  other  words,  at  what  the  Holy  Spirit 
must  do  if  there  is  to  be  a  true  revival, 

I.  In  the  first  place ^  the  Holy  Spirit  must  inspire  us 
to  and  guide  us  in  prayer.  In  regard  to  the  great 
revival  that  is  to  come  some  day  to  Israel,  God  says, 
"I  will  pour  out  upon  the  house  of  David  and  upon  the 
inhabitants  ot  Jerusalem  the  spirit  of  grace  and  of  sup- 
plication.'' So  also,  if  there  is  to  be  a  true  revival  in 
any  church  or  community  or  nation,  God  must  pour 
out  upon  them  the  spirit  of  grace  and  of  supplication. 

II 


12       THE   HOLY   SPIRIT   IN   A   REVIVAL 

The  work  must  begin  with  Him.  We  are  living  in  a 
day  when  there  are  many  indications  that  God  is  doing 
His  part  to  do  this  very  thing  for  us.  Prayer  is  the 
vital  breath  of  a  true  revival.  Prayerless  revivals  are 
a  sham.  But  we  know  not  how  to  pray  as  we  ought, 
and  if  there  is  to  be  acceptable  and  effective  prayer, 
the  Holy  Spirit  must  help  our  infirmity  and  teach  us 
how  to  pray  (Rom.  8:  26,  27).  We  need  to  cry  to  God 
that  He  will  not  only  pour  out  upon  us  a  spirit  of 
grace  and  of  supplication,  but  that  He  will  also  by  His 
Holy  Spirit  teach  us  how  to  pray.  Doubtless  He  is 
already  doing  this  in  a  measure,  but  we  need  a  larger 
measure. 

2.  The  Holy  Spirit  must  have  the  superintendency  and 
direction  of  all  the  revival  activities.  It  was  so  in  the 
apostolic  church,  which  was  a  revival  church.  The 
Holy  Spirit  chose  the  officers  (Acts  20:  28),  He  directed 
where  His  chosen  servants  were  to  preach  and  work 
(Acts  13:  1-2),  He  oftentimes  directed  in  a  most  minute 
way,  and  in  ways  that  those  directed  did  not  altogether 
understand  (Acts  16:6-8).  All  the  plans  for  the 
revival,  and  all  the  details  of  the  plans  should  be  sub- 
mitted to  the  Holy  Spirit  for  His  guidance;  He 
should  be  the  recognized  chairman  of  every  committee. 

3.  The  Holy  Spirit  must  give  power  to  the  preaching 
and  to  the  testimony.  When  Jesus  gave  to  the  disciples 
the  great  commission  to  go  out  and  evangelize  the 
world.  He  said,  "Ye  shall  receive  power  after  that  the 
Holy  Ghost  is  come  upon  you."  Paul  in  writing  to 
the  church  at  Corinth  said,  "I  was  with  you  in  weak- 
ness and  in  fear  and  much  trembling,  and  my  speech 
and  my  preaching  was  not  with  enticing  words  of 
man's  wisdom,  but  in  demonstration  of  the  Spirit  and 


THE    HOLY   SPIRIT   IN   A   REVIVAL       13 

of  power,  that  your  faith  should  not  stand  in  the  wis- 
dom of  men  but  in  the  power  of  God."  Again,  in 
writing  to  the  church  in  Thessalonica,  *'Our  Gospel 
came  not  unto  you  in  word  only,  but  also  in  power, 
and  in  the  Holy  Ghost,  and  in  much  assurance." 
Whoever  does  the  preaching  in  the  revival,  whether 
it  be  the  pastor  or  the  evangelist,  the  whole  depend- 
ence for  results  from  the  preaching  must  be  upon  the 
Holy  Spirit.  Whoever  testifies,  we  must  look  to  the 
Holy  Spirit  to  give  power  to  the  testimony.  Many  a 
preacher  of  very  small  gifts  has  been  mightily  used  of 
God  because  he  and  the  people  looked  to  the  Holy 
Spirit,  and  ,many  a  man  of  naturally  large  gifts  has 
accomplished  nothing  of  real  and  permanent  value 
because  the  dependence  was  upon  him  and  not  upon 
the  Holy  Ghost. 

4.  The  Holy  Spirit  must  convict  men  of  siii.  Jesus 
said  in  promising  the  Holy  Spirit  to  the  disciples,  "and 
He,  when  He  is  come,  will  convict  the  world  in  respect 
of  sin. "  A  revival  without  conviction  of  sin,  deep,  pun- 
gent, overwhelming,  is  not  a  true  revival.  It  is  true  that 
a  great  many  may  be  converted  and  born  again  with- 
out the  deep  and  overwhelming  conviction  of  sin  that 
others  have.  They  may  come  in  as  quietly  as  Lydia, 
whose  heart  the  Lord  opened,  but  when  there  is  a  deep 
and  true  work  of  grace,  there  will  be  a  deep  and  over- 
whelming conviction  of  sin  on  the  part  of  many.  It 
was  so  on  the  day  of  Pentecost ;  as  Peter  preached  in 
the  power  of  the  Holy  Ghost  a  loud  cry  went  up  from 
men  who  were  pricked  in  their  heart,  "Men  and 
brethren,  what  must  we  do  to  be  saved?"  There  has 
been  similar  conviction  of  sin  at  every  genuine  and 
lasting  revival  since.     This  is  beginning  to  be  so  in 


14      THE   HOLY   SPIRIT   IN   A   REVIVAL 

the  church  to-day.  From  all  directions  come  reports 
of  deep  conviction  of  sin.  Now  it  is  the  work  of  the 
Holy  Spirit  to  convict  men  of  sin,  and  we  must  depend 
upon  Him  to  do  it.  We  must  ask  Him  to  do  it.  We 
must  expect  Him  to  do  it.  Nothing  is  more  futile 
than  to  try  to  convict  men  of  sin  by  any  unaided 
powers  of  reasoning  that  we  may  possess.  The  nat- 
ural heart  is  so  blind,  and  especially  so  blind  as  to  its 
own  condition,  that  the  supernatural  grace  of  the 
Spirit  is  necessary  to  open  the  eyes  of  the  soul  to  its 
real  condition.  But  the  Holy  Spirit,  where  depend- 
ence is  placed  upon  Him,  is  constantly  administering 
His  power  to  convict  even  the  most  careless  of  sin. 

5.  The  Holy  Spirit  must  regenerate.  Revival  is  new 
life,  and  new  life  to  the  unsaved  comes  through 
regeneration,  and  it  is  the  Holy  Spirit's  work  to 
regenerate.  Men  are  saved  not  through  works  of 
righteousness  which  they  themselves  have  done,  but 
according  to  God's  mercy,  who  saves  us  by  the  wash- 
ing of  regeneration  and  renewing  of  the  Holy  Spirit 
(Titus  3:5).  *' Except  a  man  be  born  of  water  and  of 
the  Spirit,  he  cannot  enter  into  the  kingdom  of  God. ' ' 
If  there  is  to  be  a  mighty  revival  in  any  church,  min- 
isters and  people  must  look  to  the  Holy  Spirit  to 
regenerate  men.  He  can  do  it;  He  is  doing  it  every 
day  where  dependence  is  placed  upon  Him.  He  is 
touching  the  hearts  of  men  and  women,  seemingly 
almost  beyond  the  reach  of  the  grace  of  God,  and  quick- 
ening and  transforming  them  by  His  almighty  power. 
Let  us  ask  Him  and  expect  Him  to  do  it  in  our  own 
community.  What  He  did  in  Saul  of  Tarsus  in 
Damascus,  He  can  do  in  many  another  Saul  of  Tarsus 
in  Chicago,  or  in  any  city  or  village  of  the  land. 


THE   HOLY   SPIRIT   IN   A   REVIVAL      15 

6.  The  Holy  Spirit  must  sanctify,  consecrate  and  fill. 
A  revival  means  not  only  life  for  those  dead  in  tres- 
passes and  sins,  but,  furthermore,  new  life,  life  more 
abundant,  for  those  who  already  have  some  life.  It 
means  complete  surrender  to  God,  a  setting  apart  for 
God,  a  filling  with  God,  for  Christians;  and  all  this  is 
the  Holy  Spirit's  work.  He  is  the  sanctifier  and  the 
filler  (i  Pet.  1:2;  Eph.  5:  18).  Many  are  trying  to 
cleanse  and  fill  themselves.  No!  no!  Look  to  the 
Spirit  to  do  it  for  you  and  for  others. 

II.      HOW     TO     SECURE     THE     HOLY     SPIRIT'S      WORK     WITH 

POWER 

We  have  seen  how  much  depends  in  a  revival  on  the 
Holy  Spirit's  work,  how,  in  fact,  everything  depends 
upon  Him.  Some  one  might  think,  then,  that  all  we 
have  to  do  is  to  sit  down  and  wait  for  the  Holy  Spirit 
to  work,  but  this  is  not  so.  The  Holy  Spirit  is  always 
willing  and  anxious  to  do  His  work  if  the  proper  con- 
ditions are  supplied.  It  is  true  that  the  Holy  Spirit, 
like  the  wind,  bloweth  where  He  willeth,  but  He 
always  willeth  to  blow  where  He  can  consistently,  that 
is,  where  certain  conditions  are  supplied.  What  are 
these  conditions,  or,  in  other  words,  what  must  we  do 
to  secure  the  Holy  Spirit's  work  with  power? 

I.  First  of  all,  we  must  recognize  our  need  of  Him, 
The  Holy  Spirit  only  works  with  power  when  men 
deeply  realize  their  need  of  Him.  In  many  a  so-called 
revival  men  feel  that  they  are  themselves  quite  suffi- 
cient for  the  work  in  hand.  They  think  that  if  they 
can  only  have  the  right  plans,  and  the  right  machin- 
ery, and  the  right  advertising,  and  the  right  sort  of 
singing  and  preaching,  the  desired  results  will  follow. 


i6      THE   HOLY   SPIRIT   IN   A   REVIVAL 

For  <<ome  years  in  our  country,  we  have  been  trying 
theviC  machine-made  revivals,  and  the  result  is  a  sorry 
and  sickening  failure.  We  must  feel  our  utter  help- 
lessness and  dependence  upon  the  Holy  Ghost.  Do 
we  feel  that  to-day?  Much  that  is  said  and  written 
about  the  coming  revival  would  seem  to  indicate  that 
we  do  not. 

2.  In  the  next  place ^  we  must  take  our  eyes  off  from 
men.  If  we  get  our  eyes  on  any  man,  or  any  company 
of  men,  the  Holy  Ghost  cannot  work.  God  tells  us 
that  He  has  chosen  the  foolish  things  of  the  world  to 
confound  the  wise,  and  the  weak  things  of  the  world 
to  confound  the  things  that  are  mighty,  and  the  base 
things  of  the  world,  and  things  which  are  despised, 
and  things  which  are  not,  to  bring  to  naught  things 
that  are.  Then  God  tells  us  why  He  has  chosen  the 
foolish  things ;  in  order  that  no  flesh  should  glory  in 
His  presence  (i  Cor.  i:  27-29).  God  will  not  give  His 
glory  to  another,  and  if  we  get  our  eyes  fixed  on  any 
man,  God  will  withhold  His  power  and  blessing. 
**Men  of  low  degree  are  vanity,  and  men  of  high 
degree  are  a  lie,  in  the  balances  they  will  go  up,  they 
are  together  lighter  than  vanity."  Power  belongs 
unto  God  and  to  Him  alone,  and  if  our  dependence  is 
upon  men  of  low  degree  or  men  of  high  degree,  the 
almighty  power  of  God  will  not  be  manifested. 

If  we  wish  the  Holy  Spirit  to  do  His  glorious  work, 
we  must  keep  our  eyes  fixed  upon  Him,  and  Him 
alone. 

3.  We  must  surrender  absolutely  to  the  Holy  Spirifs 
control.  We  have  already  said  that  He  must  control 
everything,  but  we  on  our  part  must  gladly  recognize 
His  right  to  control,  and  submit  whole-heartedly  to  it. 


THE    HOLY   SPIRIT    IN   A   REVIVAL      17 

God  gives  the  Holy  Spirit  to  them  that  obey  Him 
(Acts  5:32).  If  we  would  see  a  mighty  work  of  God's 
grace,  the  deepest  longing  of  our  hearts  should  be  that 
in  all  our  meetings  everything  about  them  should  be 
surrendered  absolutely  to  the  control  of  the  Holy 
Spirit.     Then  shall  we  see  great  things. 

4.  We  must  pray.  If  there  is  anything  absolutely 
clear  in  the  Word  of  God,  in  Christian  history  and  in 
individual  experience,  it  is  that  the  Holy  Spirit  is 
given  in  His  fullness  in  answer  to  definite  prayer 
(Luke  11:  13).  The  Holy  Spirit  was  given  at  Pente- 
cost after  a  ten  days'  prayer  meeting;  and  if  He  is  to 
come  in  mighty  power  in  these  days,  there  must  be 
much  private  and  much  united  prayer. 

5.  We  must  furnish  some  one  for  the  Spirit  to  work 
through^  and  something  for  the  Spirit  to  use, 

(i).  The  Holy  Spirit  works  through  men.  When 
Cornelius  was  to  be  converted,  and  there  was  to  be  a 
revival  in  Caesarea,  the  Holy  Spirit  did  not  go  directly 
to  Cornelius;  He  sent  Peter,  and  Peter  presented  him- 
self as  an  agent  for  the  Holy  Spirit's  power.  So  must 
we  do.  The  Holy  Spirit  convicts  men,  but  He  con- 
victs them  through  us.  In  speaking  to  His  disciples 
Jesus  said,  **It  is  expedient  for  you  that  I  go  away,  for 
if  I  go  not  away  the  Comforter  will  not  come  unto  you, 
but  if  I  depart  I  will  send  Him  unto  you,  and  when  He 
is  come  [that  is,  come  unto  you]  He  will  convict  the 
world  in  respect  of  sin."  So  it  is  evident  that  the 
Holy  Spirit  who  convicts  the  world  does  it  through  the 
believer.  He  comes  to  the  believer  and  convicts 
the  world  through  him.  Will  we  now  present  our- 
selves to  the  Holy  Spirit  as  the  agent  through  whom 
He  may  do  His  glorious  work  any  way  He  chooses?    It 


i8      THE   HOLY   SPIRIT   IN   A   REVIVAL 

may  be  in  invitation  work,  in  tract  distribution,  in  per- 
sonal work,  in  singing,  in  preaching,  in  any  way  He 
will.  There  is  a  great  revival  coming.  The  Holy 
Spirit  wants  agents  for  this  work.  How  many  of  us 
are  willing  to  be  His  agents,  absolutely  at  His  dis- 
posal? 

(2).  The  Holy  Spirit  not  only  works  through  men, 
but  He  works  through  a  certain  instrumentality,  that 
is,  the  Word  of  God  (Eph.  6:  17).  If  the  Holy  Spirit 
is  to  work  mightily,  we  must  get  the  Word  of  God  into 
our  heads  and  into  our  hearts  and  upon  our  lips.  On 
the  day  of  Pentecost,  the  Word  of  God  which  Peter 
had  been  storing  in  his  heart  for  years,  got  onto  his 
lips,  and  a  mighty  revival  followed.  In  Acts  6 :  4 
Peter  and  the  rest  of  the  disciples  decided  to  give 
themselves  to  prayer  and  the  ministry  of  the  Word. 
What  the  result  was  we  read  in  verse  seven,  *'The 
Word  of  God  increased  and  the  number  of  disciples 
multiplied  in  Jerusalem  greatly,  and  a  g^eat  number 
of  priests  were  obedient  to  the  faith." 

When  any  church  can  be  brought  to  the  place  where 
they  will  recognize  their  need  of  the  Holy  Spirit,  and 
take  their  eyes  off  from  all  men,  and  surrender  abso- 
lutely to  the  Holy  Spirit's  control,  and  give  themselves 
to  much  prayer  for  His  outpouring,  and  present  them- 
selves as  His  agents,  having  stored  the  Word  of  God 
in  their  heads  and  hearts,  and  then  look  to  the  Holy 
Spirit  to  give  it  power  as  it  falls  from  their  lips,  a 
mighty  revival  in  the  power  of  the  Holy  Ghost  is 
mevitable. 


THE  PLACE  OF  PRAYER  IN  A  REVIVAL 

BY  R.    A.   TORREY 

The  first  great  revival  of  Christian  history  had  its 
origin  on  the  human  side  in  a  ten-days*  prayer-meet- 
ing. We  read  of  that  handful  of  disciples,  "These 
all  with  one  accord  continued  steadfastly  in  prayer." 
(Acts  i:  14,  R.  V.)  The  result  of  that  prayer-meeting 
we  read  of  in  the  second  chapter  of  the  Acts  of  the 
Apostles,  "They  were  all  filled  with  the  Holy  Ghost, 
and  began  to  speak  with  other  tongues,  as  the  Spirit 
gave  them  utterance"  (v.  4).  Further  on  in  the  chap- 
ter we  read  that  "there  were  added  unto  them  in  that 
day  about  three  thousand  souls"  (v.  41,  R.  V.).  This 
revival  proved  genuine  and  permanent.  The  con- 
verts "continued  steadfastly  in  the  apostles'  teaching 
and  fellowship,  in  the  breaking  of  bread  and  the 
prayers"  (v.  42,  R.  V.).  "And  the  Lord  added  to 
them  day  by  day  those  that  were  being  saved"  (v.  47, 
R.  v.). 

Every  true  revival  from  that  day  to  this  has  had  its 
earthly  origin  in  prayer.  The  great  revival  under 
Jonathan  Edwards  in  the  eighteenth  century  began 
with  his  famous  call  to  prayer.  The  marvelous  work 
of  grace  among  the  Indians  under  Brainerd  had  its 
origin  in  the  days  and  nights  that  Brainerd  spent 
before  God  in  prayer  for  an  enduement  of  power  from 
on  high  for  this  work. 

A  most  remarkable  and  widespread  display  of  God's 

19 


20  THE  PLACE  OF  PRAYER  IN  A  REVIVAL 

reviving  power  was  that  which  broke  out  at  Rochester, 
New  York,  in  1830,  under  the  labors  of  Charles  G. 
Finney.  It  not  only  spread  throughout  the  State,  but 
ultimately  to  Great  Britain  as  well.  Mr.  Finney  him- 
self attributed  the  power  of  this  work  to  the  spirit  of 
prayer  that  prevailed.  He  describes  it  in  his  auto- 
biography in  the  following  words : 

**When  I  was  on  my  way  to  Rochester,  as  we  passed 
through  a  village,  some  thirty  miles  east  of  Rochester, 
a  brother  minister  whom  I  knew,  seeing  me  on  the 
canal-boat,  jumped  aboard  to  have  a  little  conversa- 
tion with  me,  intending  to  ride  but  a  little  way  and 
return.  He,  however,  became  interested  in  conversa- 
tion, and  upon  finding  where  I  was  going,  he  made  up 
his  mind  to  keep  on  and  go  with  me  to  Rochester.  We 
had  been  there  but  a  few  days  when  this  minister 
became  so  convicted  that  he  could  not  help  weeping 
aloud  at  one  time  as  we  passed  along  the  street.  The 
Lord  gave  him  a  powerful  spirit  of  prayer,  and  his 
heart  was  broken.  As  he  and  I  prayed  together,  I 
was  struck  with  his  faith  in  regard  to  what  the  Lord 
was  going  to  do  there.  I  recollect  he  would  say, 
*  Lord,  I  do  not  know  how  it  is ;  but  I  seem  to  know 
that  Thou  art  going  to  do  a  great  work  in  this  city.  * 
The  spirit  of  prayer  was  poured  out  powerfully,  so 
much  so  that  some  persons  stayed  away  from  the  pub- 
lic services  to  pray,  being  unable  to  restrain  their  feel- 
ings under  preaching. 

**And  here  I  must  introduce  the  name  of  a  man, 
whom  I  shall  have  occasion  to  mention  frequently,  Mr. 
Abel  Clary.  He  was  the  son  of  a  very  excellent  man, 
and  an  elder  of  the  church  where  I  was  converted.  He 
was  converted  in  the  same  revival  in  which  I  was.    He 


THE  PLACE  OF  PRAYER  IN  A  REVIVAL    2t 

had  been  licensed  to  preach ;  but  his  spirit  of  prayer  was 
such,  he  was  so  burdened  with  the  souls  of  men,  that  he 
was  not  able  to  preach  much,  his  whole  time  and 
strength  being  given  to  prayer.  The  burden  of  his 
soul  would  frequently  be  so  great  that  he  was  unable 
to  stand,  and  he  would  writhe  and  groan  in  agony.  I 
was  well  acquainted  with  him,  and  knew  something  of 
the  wonderful  spirit  of  prayer  that  was  upon  him.  He 
was  a  very  silent  man,  as  almost  all  are  who  have  that 
powerful  spirit  of  prayer. 

"The  first  I  knew  of  his  being  in  Rochester,  a  gen- 
tleman who  lived  about  a  mile  west  of  the  city  called 
on  me  one  day  and  asked  me  if  I  knew  a  Mr.  Abel 
Clary,  a  minister.  I  told  him  that  I  knew  him  well. 
*Well,'  he  said,  *he  is  at  my  house,  and  has  been  there 
for  some  time,  and  I  don't  know  what  to  think  of 
him. '  I  said,  'I  have  not  seen  him  at  any  of  our  meet- 
ings. *  'No,'  he  replied,  *he  cannot  go  to  meeting,  he 
says.  He  prays  nearly  all  the  time,  day  and  night, 
and  in  such  agony  of  mind  that  I  do  not  know  what  to 
make  of  it.  Sometimes  he  cannot  even  stand  on  his 
knees,  but  will  lie  prostrate  on  the  floor,  and  groan 
and  pray  in  a  manner  that  quite  astonishes  me.*  I 
said  to  the  brother,  'I  understand  it:  please  keep  still. 
It  will  all  come  out  right ;  he  will  surely  prevail. ' 

"I  knew  at  the  time  a  considerable  number  of  men 
who   were  exercised  in   the  same   way.       A    Deacon 

P ,  of  Camden,  Oneida  County;    a  Deacon  T , 

of   Rodman,   Jefferson   County;    a   Deacon   B ,   of 

Adams,  in  the  same  county;  this  Mr.  Clary  and  many 
others  among  the  men,  and  a  large  number  of  women 
partook  of  the  same  spirit,  and  spent  a  great  part  of 
their  time  in  prayer.     Father  Nash,  as  we  called  him, 


22   THE  PLACE  OF  PRAYER  IN  A  REVIVAL 

who  in  several  of  my  fields  of  labor  came  to  me  and 
aided  me,  was  another  of  those  men  that  had  such  a 
powerful  spirit  of  prevailing  prayer.  This  Mr.  Clary 
continued  in  Rochester  as  long  as  I  did,  and  did  not 
leave  it  until  after  I  had  left.  He  never,  that  I  could 
learn,  appeared  in  public,  but  gave  himself  wholly  to 
prayer. 

"I  think  it  was  the  second  Sabbath  that  I  was  at 
Auburn  at  this  time,  I  observed  in  the  congregation 
the  solemn  face  of  Mr.  Clary.  He  looked  as  if  he  was 
borne  down  with  an  agony  of  prayer.  Being  well 
acquainted  with  him,  and  knowing  the  great  gift  of 
God  that  was  upon  him,  the  spirit  of  prayer,  I  was 
very  glad  to  see  him  there.  He  sat  in  the  pew  with 
his  brother,  the  doctor,  who  was  also  a  professor  of 
religion,  but  who  had  nothing  by  experience,  I  should 
think,  of  his  brother  Abel's  great  power  with  God. 

**At  intermission,  as  soon  as  I  came  down  from  the 
pulpit,  Mr.  Clary,  with  his  brother,  met  me  at  the  pul- 
pit stairs,  and  the  doctor  invited  me  to  go  home  with 
him  and  spend  the  intermission  and  get  some  refresh- 
ments.    I  did  so. 

*' After  arriving  at  his  house  we  were  soon  sum- 
moned to  the  dinner-table.  We  gathered  about  the 
table,  and  Dr.  Clary  turned  to  his  brother  and  said, 
*  Brother  Abel,  will  you  ask  the  blessing?'  Brother 
Abel  bowed  his  head  and  began,  audibly,  to  ask  a 
blessing.  He  had  uttered  but  a  sentence  or  two  when 
he  broke  instantly  down,  moved  suddenly  back  from 
the  table,  and  fled  to  his  chamber.  The  doctor  sup- 
posed he  had  been  taken  suddenly  ill,  and  rose  up  and 
followed  him.  In  a  few  moments  he  came  down  and 
said,  'Mr.   Finney,  brother  Abel  wants  to  see  you.' 


THE  PLACE  OF  PRAYER  IN  A  REVIVAL   23 

Said  I,  'What  ails  him?'  Said  he,  'I  do  not  know,  but 
he  says;  you  know.  He  appears  in  great  distress,  but 
I  think  it  is  the  state  of  his  mind.'  I  understood  it  in 
a  moment,  and  went  to  his  room.  He  lay  groaning 
upon  the  bed,  the  Spirit  making  intercession  for  him, 
and  in  him,  with  groanings  that  could  not  be  uttered. 
I  had  barely  entered  the  room,  when  he  made  out  to 
say,  'Pray,  brother  Finney.'  I  knelt  down  and  helped 
him  in  prayer,  by  leading  his  soul  out  for  the  conver- 
sion of  sinners.  I  continued  to  pray  until  his  distress 
passed  away,  and  then  I  returned  to  the  dinner  table. 

"I  understood  that  this  was  the  voice  of  God.  I  saw 
the  spirit  of  prayer  was  upon  him,  and  I  felt  his  influ- 
ence upon  myself,  and  took  it  for  granted  that  the 
work  would  move  on  powerfully.  It  did  so.  The 
pastor  told  me  afterward  that  he  found  that  in  the  six 
weeks  that  I  was  there  five  hundred  souls  had  been 
converted." 

Mr.  Finney  in  his  lectures  on  revivals  tells  of  other 
remarkable  awakenings  in  answer  to  the  prayers  of 
God's  people.     He  says  in  one  place,  *'A  clergyman 

in  W n  told  me  of   a  revival  among  his  people, 

which  commenced  with  a  zealous  and  devoted  woman 
in  the  church.  She  became  anxious  about  sinners, 
and  went  to  praying  for  them ;  she  prayed,  and  her 
distress  increased ;  and  she  finally  came  to  her  min- 
ister, and  talked  with  him,  and  asked  him  to  appoint 
an  anxious  meeting,  for  she  felt  that  one  was  needed. 
The  minister  put  her  off,  for  he  felt  nothing  of  it. 
The  next  week  she  came  again,  and  besought  him  to 
appoint  an  anxious  meeting ;  she  knew  there  would  be 
somebody  come,  for  she  felt  as  if  God  was  going  to 
pour  out  His  Spirit.      He  put  her  off  again.      And 


24   THE  PLACE  OF  PRAYER  IN  A  REVIVAL 

finally  she  said  to  him,  '  If  you  do  not  appoint  an  anx- 
ious meeting  I  shall  die,  for  there  is  certainly  going 
to  be  a  revival.'  The  next  Sabbath  he  appointed  a 
meeting,  and  said  that  if  there  were  any  who  wished 
to  converse  with  him  about  the  salvation  of  their 
souls,  he  would  meet  them  on  such  an  evening.  He 
did  not  know  of  one,  but  when  he  went  to  the  place, 
to  his  astonishment  he  found  a  large  number  of  anx- 
ious inquirers.  * ' 

In  still  another  place  he  says,  **The  first  ray  of  light 
that  broke  in  upon  the  midnight  which  rested  on  the 
churches  in  Oneida  County,  in  the  fall  of  1825,  was 
from  a  woman  in  feeble  health,  who,  I  believe,  had 
never  been  in  a  powerful  revival.  Her  soul  was 
exercised  about  sinners.  She  was  in  agony  for  the 
land.  She  did  not  know  what  ailed  her,  but  she  kept 
praying  more  and  more,  till  it  seemed  as  if  her  agony 
would  destroy  her  body.  At  length  she  became  full  of 
joy  and  exclaimed,  'God  has  come!  God  has  come! 
There  is  no  mistake  about  it,  the  work  is  begun,  and  is 
going  over  all  the  region!'  And  sure  enough,  the 
work  began,  and  her  family  were  almost  all  converted, 
and  the  work  spread  all  over  that  part  of  the  country.'* 

The  great  revival  of  1857  in  the  United  States 
began  in  prayer  and  was  carried  on  by  prayer  more 
than  by  anything  else.  Dr.  Cuyler  in  an  article  in  a 
religious  newspaper  some  years  ago  said,  "Most  reviv- 
als have  humble  beginnings,  and  the  fire  starts  in  a 
few  warm  hearts.  Never  despise  the  day  of  small 
things.  During  all  my  own  long  ministry,  nearly 
every  work  of  grace  had  a  similar  beginning.  One 
commenced  in  a  meeting  gathered  at  a  few  hours' 
notice  in   a  private  house.     Another   commenced   in 


THE  PLACE  OF  PRAYER  IN  A  REVIVAL   25 

a  group  gathered  for  Bible  study  by  Mr.  Moody 
in  our  mission  chapel.  Still  another — the  most 
powerful  of  all — was  kindled  on  a  bitter  January 
evening  at  a  meeting  of  young  Christians  under  my 
roof.  Dr.  Spencer,  in  his  'Pastor's  Sketches'  (the 
most  suggestive  book  of  its  kind  I  have  ever  read), 
tells  us  that  a  remarkable  revival  in  his  church  sprang 
from  the  fervent  prayers  of  a  godly  old  man  who  was 
confined  to  his  room  by  lameness.  That  profound 
Christian,  Dr.  Thomas  H.  Skinner,  of  the  Union 
Theological  Seminary,  once  gave  me  an  account  of  a 
remarkable  coming  together  of  three  earnest  men  in 
his  study  when  he  was  the  pastor  of  the  Arch  Street 
Church  in  Philadelphia.  They  literally  wrestled  in 
prayer.  They  made  a  clean  breast  in  confession  of 
sin,  and  humbled  themselves  before  God.  One  and 
another  church  officer  came  in  and  joined  them.  The 
heaven-kindled  flame  soon  spread  through  the  whole 
congregation  in  one  of  the  most  powerful  revivals  ever 
known  in  that  city. ' ' 

In  the  early  part  of  the  sixteenth  century  there  was 
a  great  religious  awakening  in  Ulster,  Ireland.  The 
lands  of  the  rebel  chiefs,  which  had  been  forfeited  to 
the  British  crown,  were  settled  up  by  a  class  of  colo- 
nists who  for  the  most  part  were  governed  by  a  spirit 
of  wild  adventure.  Real  piety  was  rare.  Seven  min- 
isters, five  from  Scotland  and  two  from  England, 
settled  in  that  country,  the  earliest  arrivals  being  in 
16 1 3.  Of  one  of  these  ministers  named  Blair  it  is 
recorded  by  a  contemporary,  "He  spent  many  days 
and  nights  in  prayer,  alone  and  with  others,  and  was 
vouchsafed  great  intimacy  with  God."  Mr.  James 
Glendenning,  a  man  of  very  meager  natural  gifts,  was 


26   THE  PLACE  OF  PRAYER  IN  A  REVIVAL 

a  man  similarly  minded  as  regards  prayer.  The  work 
began  under  this  man  Glendenning.  The  historian  of 
the  time  says,  "He  was  a  man  who  never  would  have 
been  chosen  by  a  wise  assembly  of  ministers,  nor  sent 
to  begin  a  reformation  in  this  land.  Yet  this  was  the 
Lord's  choice  to  begin  with  him  the  admirable  work 
of  God  which  I  mention  on  purpose  that  all  may  see 
how  the  glory  is  only  the  Lord's  in  making  a  holy 
nation  in  this  profane  land,  and  that  it  was  *not  by 
might,  nor  by  power,  nor  by  man's  wisdom,  but  by 
My  Spirit,  saith  the  Lord.'  "  In  his  preaching  at  Old- 
stone  multitudes  of  hearers  felt  in  great  anxiety  and 
terror  of  conscience.  They  looked  on  themselves  as 
altogether  lost  and  damned,  and  cried  out,  "Men  and 
brethren,  what  shall  we  do  to  be  saved?"  They  were 
stricken  into  a  swoon  by  the  power  of  His  Word.  A 
dozen  in  one  day  were  carried  out  of  doors  as  dead. 
These  were  not  women,  but  some  of  the  boldest  spirits 
of  the  neighborhood;  "some  who  had  formerly  feared 
not  with  their  swords  to  put  a  whole  market  town  into 
a  fray."  Concerning  one  of  them,  the  historian 
writes,  "I  have  heard  one  of  them,  then  a  mighty 
strong  man,  now  a  mighty  Christian,  say  that  his  end 
in  coming  into  church  was  to  consult  with  his  compan- 
ions how  to  work  some  mischief." 

This  work  spread  throughout  the  whole  country. 
By  the  year  1626  a  monthly  concert  of  prayer  was  held 
in  Antrim.  The  work  spread  beyond  the  bounds  of 
Down  and  Antrim  to  the  churches  of  the  neighboring 
counties.  So  great  became  the  religious  interest  that 
Christians  would  come  thirty  or  forty  miles  to  the  com- 
munions, and  continue  from  the  time  they  came  until 
they  returned  without  wearying  or  making  use  of 


THE  PLACE  OF  PRAYER  IN  A  REVIVAL   27 

sleep.  Many  of  them  neither  ate  nor  drank, and  yet  some 
of  them  professed  that  they  "went  away  most  fresh  and 
vigorous,  their  souls  so  filled  with  the  sense  of  God." 

This  revival  changed  the  whole  character  of  northern 
Ireland. 

Another  great  awakening  in  Ireland  in  1859  had  a 
somewhat  similar  origin.  By  many  who  did  not  know, 
it  was  thought  that  this  marvelous  work  came  without 
warning  and  preparation,  but  Rev.  William  Gibson, 
the  moderator  of  the  General  Assembly  of  the  Presby- 
terian Church  in  Ireland  in  i860,  in  his  very  interest- 
ing and  valuable  history  of  the  work,  tells  how  there 
had  been  preparation  for  two  years.  There  had  been 
constant  discussion  in  the  General  Assembly  of  the  low 
estate  of  religion,  and  of  the  need  of  a  revival.  There 
had  been  special  sessions  for  prayer.  Finally  four 
young  men,  who  became  leaders  in  the  origin  of  the 
great  work,  began  to  meet  together  in  an  old  school- 
house  in  the  neighborhood  of  Kells.  About  the  spring 
of  1858  a  work  of  power  began  to  manifest  itself.  It 
spread  from  town  to  town,  and  from  county  to  county. 
The  congregations  became  too  large  for  the  buildings, 
and  the  meetings  were  held  in  the  open  air,  oftentimes 
attended  by  many  thousands  of  people.  Many  hun- 
dreds of  persons  were  frequently  convicted  of  sin  in  a 
single  meeting.  In  some  places  the  criminal  courts 
and  jails  were  closed  for  lack  of  occupation.  There 
were  manifestations  of  the  Holy  Spirit's  power  of  a 
most  remarkable  character,  clearly  proving  that  the 
Holy  Spirit  is  as  ready  to  work  to-day  as  in  apostolic 
days,  when  ministers  and  Christians  really  believe  in 
Him  and  begin  to  prepare  the  way  by  prayer. 

Mr.  Moody's  wonderful  work  in  England  and  Scot- 


28   THE  PLACE  OF  PRAYER  IN  A  REVIVAL 

land  and  Ireland  that  afterwards  spread  to  America 
had  its  origin  on  the  manward  side  in  prayer.  Mr. 
Moody  made  little  impression  until  men  and  women 
began  to  cry  to  God.  Indeed,  his  going  to  England  at 
all  was  in  answer  to  the  importunate  cries  to  God  of  a 
bed-ridden  saint.  While  the  spirit  of  prayer  continued 
the  revival  abode  in  strength,  but  in  the  course  of  time 
less  and  less  was  made  of  prayer,  and  the  work  fell  off 
very  perceptibly  in  power.  Doubtless  one  of  the  great 
secrets  of  the  unsatisfactoriness  and  superficiality  and 
unreality  of  many  of  our  modern  so-called  revivals,  is 
that  more  dependence  is  put  upon  man's  machinery 
than  upon  God's  power,  sought  and  obtained  by 
earnest,  persistent,  believing  prayer.  We  live  in  a 
day  characterized  by  the  multiplication  of  man's 
machinery  and  the  diminution  of  God's  power.  The 
great  cry  of  our  day  is  work,  work,  work,  new  organi- 
zations, new  methods,  new  machinery;  the  great  need 
of  our  day  is  prayer.  It  was  a  master  stroke  of  the 
devil  when  he  got  the  church  so  generally  to  lay  aside 
this  mighty  weapon  of  prayer.  The  devil  is  perfectly 
willing  that  the  church  should  multiply  its  organiza- 
tions, and  deftly  contrive  machinery  for  the  conquest 
of  the  world  for  Christ  if  it  will  only  give  up  praying. 
He  laughs  as  he  looks  at  the  church  to-day  and  says  to 
himself : 

**  You  can  have  your  Sunday  Schools  and  your  Young 
People's  Societies,  your  Young  Men's  Christian  Asso- 
ciations and  your  Women's  Christian  Temperance 
Unions,  your  Institutional  Churches  and  your  Indus- 
trial Schools,  and  your  Boys*  Brigades,  your  grand 
choirs  and  your  fine  organs,  your  brilliant  preachers 
and  your  revival  efforts  too,  if  you  don't  bring  the 


THE  PLACE  OF  PRAYER  IN  A  REVIVAL   29 

power  of  Almighty  God  into  them  by  earnest,  persist- 
ent, believing,  mighty  prayer. ' ' 

Prayer  could  work  as  marvelous  results  to-day  as  it 
ever  could,  if  the  church  would  only  betake  itself  to  it. 

There  seems  to  be  increasing  signs  that  the  church 
is  awaking  to  this  fact.  Here  and  there  God  is  laying 
upon  individual  ministers  and  churches  a  burden  of 
prayer  that  they  have  never  known  before.  Less 
dependence  is  being  put  upon  machinery  and  more 
dependence  upon  God.  Ministers  are  crying  to  God 
day  and  night  for  power.  Churches  and  portions  of 
churches  are  meeting  together  in  the  early  morning 
hours  and  the  late  night  hours  crying  to  God  for  the 
latter  rain.  There  is  every  indication  of  the  coming 
of  a  mighty  and  widespread  revival.  There  is  every 
reason  why,  if  a  revival  should  come  in  any  country  at 
this  time,  it  should  be  more  widespread  in  its  extent 
than  any  revival  of  history.  There  is  the  closest  and 
swiftest  communication  by  travel,  by  letter,  and  by 
cable  between  all  parts  of  the  world.  A  true  fire  of 
God  kindled  in  America  would  soon  spread  to  the 
uttermost  parts  of  the  earth.  The  only  thing  needed 
to  bring  this  fire  is  prayer. 

It  is  not  necessary  that  the  whole  church  get  to 
praying  to  begin  with.  Great  revivals  always  begin 
first  in  the  hearts  of  a  few  men  and  women  whom  God 
arouses  by  His  Spirit  to  believe  in  Him  as  a  living 
God,  as  a  God  who  answers  prayer,  and  upon  whose 
heart  He  lays  a  burden  from  which  no  rest  can  be 
found  except  in  importunate  crying  unto  God. 

HOW    CAN    WE    GET    OUR    PEOPLE    TO    PRAYING  ? 

First  of  all,  we  as  ministers  should  begin  praying 
ourselves.      Those  who  read  this  book  who  are  not 


30   THE  PLACE  OF  PRAYER  IN  A  REVIVAL 

ministers  should  also  begin  praying  themselves.  It  is 
recorded  of  a  young  minister  that  there  came  to  him 
such  a  burden  for  the  salvation  of  the  lost  that  he  offered 
this  prayer  to  God,  *'0  God  send  us  a  revival  or  let  me 
die."  This  seems  extravagant,  but  is  it  any  more 
extravagant  than  Moses'  prayer  in  the  mount?  **Yet 
now  if  Thou  wilt,  forgive  their  sin ;  if  not,  blot  me,  I 
pray  thee,  out  of  Thy  book  which  Thou  hast  written. '  * 
Is  it  any  more  extravagant  that  Paul's  expression  of 
love  for  his  unsaved  brethren?  '*!  could  wish  that  I 
myself  were  Anathema  from  Christ  for  my  brethren's 
sake,  my  kinsmen  according  to  the  flesh."  Extrav- 
agant or  not,  God  answered  this  young  minister  with 
a  mighty  outpouring  of  His  Holy  Spirit.  When  we 
as  ministers  have  something  of  a  similar  burden  of 
prayer  for  the  perishing,  revivals  will  soon  appear. 

Having  been  brought  by  God's  Spirit  into  such  a 
place  of  earnest  prayer  ourselves,  we  should  seek  out 
the  more  spiritual  members  of  our  flock,  and  gather 
them  around  us  for  prayer,  then,  in  due  time,  the 
whole  church  can  be  gathered  for  prayer.  There 
should  be  prayer  meetings  at  the  church,  but  not  only 
at  the  church ;  there  should  be  prayer  meetings  in  the 
homes.  Cottage  meetings  should  be  instituted,  where 
neighbors  gather  together  to  pray  for  a  revival.  In 
country  districts  neighborhood  meetings  should  be  held 
in  the  school  houses,  or  wherever  the  farmers  and 
their  families  can  be  gotten  together.  The  godly 
ones,  who  are  sick  and  shut  in,  and  the  very  aged  ones, 
who  may  not  be  able  to  get  out,  should  be  especially 
enlisted  in  this  ministry  of  prayer.  Others  at  a  dis- 
tance can  also  be  enlisted  by  correspondence.  Not  a 
little  of  the  marvelous  results  of  Mr.  Newell's  great 


THE  PLACE  OF  PRAYER  IN  A  REVIVAL   31 

Bible  classes  in  Chicago,  Detroit  and  St.  Louis  is  due 
to  the  fact  that  he  secured  from  all  his  friends  the 
names  of  the  godliest  people  they  knew,  far  and  wide, 
and  began  writing  to  them  and  thus  enlisting  them  in 
a  work  of  prayer  in  behalf  of  these  classes. 

Let  each  one  get  to  praying,  and  get  as  many  others 
as  possible  to  praying  for  his  own  community,  and 
then  for  the  world  at  large. 


THE   PREACHING  NEEDED   IN 
REVIVALS 


Firsts  Revival  preaching  to  be  effective  must  be  posi- 
tive. The  doubter  never  has  revivals.  The  man  who 
finds  it  necessary  to  be  all  the  while  hedging  and  ex- 
plaining and  apologizing  for  the  Gospel  message  which 
he  brings,  will  never  arouse  revivals  under  his  preaching. 
A  revival  is  a  revolution  in  many  important  respects, 
and  revolutions  are  never  brought  about  by  timid, 
fearful  or  deprecatory  addresses.  They  are  awakened 
by  men  who  are  cocksure  of  their  ground,  and  who 
speak  with  authority.  So  the  men  who  arouse  reviv- 
als by  their  preaching  are  men  who  believe  the  Bible, 
and  who  hold  its  great  message  to  not  only  be  true  but 
infinitely  important.  And  they  preach  it  with  the 
positive  force  of  a  man  who  is  certain  that  he  stands 
on  solid  rock.  The  message  is  true.  The  man  who 
believes  it  shall  be  saved;  the  man  who  does  not 
believe  it  will  be  damned.  Eternal  destiny  hangs 
upon  it.  Christ  is  able  to  save  the  sinner.  No  one 
else  can  save  him.  The  sinner  can  be  saved  now. 
These  great  facts  must  be  central  and  positive  in  the 
preacher's  mind  and  heart,  and  he  must  utter  them 
with  positive  emphasis. 

Second^  revival  preaching  must  be  direct.  It  must 
be  addressed  to  the  people  right  then  and  there  before 

32 


PREACHING   NEEDED   IN   REVIVALS     33 

the  preacher.  He  is  not  giving  out  a  message  to  be 
diffused  around  through  the  community.  He  is  a 
messenger  from  heaven  with  a  free  pardon  in  his  hand 
for  a  man  condemned  to  die,  and  that  man  sits  right 
there  in  the  pew  before  him.  He  must  get  the  man  to 
see  the  pardon,  to  feel  his  need  of  it  and  to  accept  it 
before  he  leaves  the  house.  He  must  get  on  to  some 
basis  by  which  he  can  make  that  man  feel  as  well  as 
understand  the  message. 

Thirds  revival  preaching  must  be  sympathetic.  If  it 
is  not  it  may  arouse  men  and  yet  fail  to  win  them.  It 
must  get  at  men  from  their  human  side.  The  preacher 
must  find  a  man's  heart  and  warm  it  to  himself,  as 
well  as  to  the  Christ  whom  he  preaches.  There  are 
many  people  who  can  be  won  largely  through  personal 
reasons.  They  are  just  as  certainly  won  as  though 
they  were  won  in  another  way.  But  they  come  to 
know  Christ  through  the  preacher  who  proclaims  Him. 
The  sympathy  and  tenderness  and  love  of  the  preach- 
er's heart,  which  show  forth  in  his  sympathetic  words 
and  manner,  attract  them  like  a  magnet,  and  they  are 
drawn  away  from  their  sins  and  drawn  toward  Christ. 

Fourth^  revival  preaching  must  be  directed  toward 
the  heart  and  not  the  head.  In  spite  of  all  that  is  said 
about  agnosticism  and  infidelity  there  are  very  few 
who,  down  at  the  heart,  are  really  unbelievers  in  the 
divine  power  of  Jesus  Christ  to  forgive  sins  and  save 
the  soul.  Where  there  is  one  such,  there  are  a 
hundred  who  are  believers,  so  far  as  a  wicked  man  is 
ever  a  believer,  but  whose  heart -lusts  and  sinful  pas- 
sions hold  them  away  from  Christ  and  righteousness. 
The  conviction  of  the  head  wiU  never  v/in  them  to 
Christ.     The  heart  must  be  aroused ;    they  must  feel 


34     PREACHING   NEEDED   IN   REVIVALS 

the  baseness  of  their  ingratitude ;  they  must  see  the 
heinousness  of  their  sins;  they  must  appreciate  the 
certainty  of  punishment  and  feel  that,  hanging  over 
their  guilty  heads,  even  now,  is  the  weight  of  condem- 
nation of  guilt.  Get  hold  of  the  heart  and  the  head 
yields  easily.  Men  continue  in  sin  because  their  hearts 
are  evil.  Make  the  heart  feel  its  guilt,  let  the  heart 
see  Christ  as  the  "one  altogether  lovely,"  and  as  the 
helm  turns  the  course  of  the  ship  in  the  hands  of  the 
pilot,  who  has  just  been  taken  on  from  the  pilot-boat, 
so  the  life  will  change  just  as  suddenly  from  the 
changed  heart  to  which  you  have  made  your  appeal. 

Fifth,  revival  preaching  must  be  simple  and  clear. 
There  is  no  time  to  let  a  man  study  about  it  for  a  week 
and  reason  out  what  you  have  told  him.  You  are  like 
a  lawyer  before  a  jury,  on  the  last  day  of  the  trial, 
when  he  knows  that  the  jury  is  to  go  out  to  make  its 
decision  immediately  on  the  close  of  his  speech.  All 
his  desires  to  make  a  great  impression  on  the  jury,  that 
may  help  him  in  some  future  case,  are  thrust  aside. 
What  he  must  do  is  to  make  the  jury  understand  the 
case  now,  and  look  at  it  from  his  standpoint.  He  will 
not  use  a  word,  if  he  knows  it,  that  is  not  compre- 
hended at  a  glance  by  the  jury.  What  he  says  must 
be  absolutely  clear  and  simple  and  stand  out  distinct 
in  their  minds  if  he  is  to  win  his  verdict.  Revival 
preaching  is  like  that.  No  man  who  wants  immediate 
effect  in  the  conversion  of  sinners  ought  ever  to  say 
anything  in  a  sermon  that  a  boy  ten  years  old,  brought 
up  in  a  Christian  family,  would  not  easily  comprehend. 
There  is  perhaps  as  great  a  weakness  at  this  point  as  at 
any  other  among  preachers  who  try  to  have  revivals. 
They  want  to  preach  too  big  sermons.     I  had  a  man 


PREACHING   NEEDED  IN   REVIVALS     35 

come  to  me  once  who  was  very  serious  and  deeply 
anxious  to  have  results  in  the  conversion  of  sinners 
under  his  ministry.  During  the  conversation  he  made 
this  remark :  *  *  I  cannot  get  the  consent  of  my  mind  to 
so  lower  the  literary  and  philosophical  standard  which 
I  have  set  for  myself,  to  do  the  kind  of  preaching 
which  seems  to  win  men  to  decision  for  Christ.  *  *  That 
was  a  real  confession.  He  had  hit  the  root  of  the 
matter.  He  always  reminded  me  of  that  moral,  rich 
young  man  who  came  to  Christ,  and  who  was  such  a 
good  young  fellow  that  Christ  loved  him,  and  yet  he 
went  sadly  away  with  a  frown  on  his  brow  from  the 
very  door  of  the  kingdom.  This  man  of  whom  I  have 
spoken  has  never  got  the  consent  of  his  mind  to  do  the 
right  kind  of  preaching,  and  as  a  result  has  never  had 
a  revival.  And  he  never  will  have  until  he  surrenders 
to  Christ  to  do  the  kind  of  preaching  that  will  accom- 
plish the  result  he  desires. 

Sixthy  revival  preaching  must  be  illustrative.  It 
must  be  in  pictures.  It  must  seize  hold  of  the  imag- 
ination. The  Master  used  pictures.  His  sermons  are 
full  of  stories  and  parables.  He  made  men  see  His 
message  as  well  as  hear  it.  His  message  lived  again 
in  the  imagination.  We  can  bring  men  to  action  in 
the  same  way.  No  man  has  ever  been  a  great  revival- 
ist who  scorned  a  generous  use  of  illustrations.  It  is 
a  common  thing  for  the  great  evangelists,  and  the  pas- 
tors who  have  great  success  in  winning  men  to  Christ, 
to  be  criticised  by  the  so-called  eloquent  and  profound 
preachers  who  nevei  have  any  revivals  of  their  own, 
as  being  only  story-tellers,  and  not  being  "strong" 
preachers.  This  is  all  nonsense.  A  sermon  is  strong 
only  when  it  is  powerful  to  produce  the   effect  for 


S6     PREACHING   NEEDED   IN   REVIVALS 

which  a  sermon  is  made.  If  the  great  end  of  a  ser- 
mon is  to  arouse  a  man  to  hate  his  sins,  and  see  in 
Christ  a  divine  Savior,  and  so  awaken  him  as  to  cause 
him  to  immediately  accept  Christ  and  find  forgiveness, 
then  that  sermon  is  a  strong  sermon  which  brings 
about  that  result ;  and  the  man  who  attempts  to  do  it 
in  any  other  way,  and  fails,  has  preached  a  weak  ser- 
mon, no  matter  how  scholarly  nor  how  splendid  its 
rhetoric,  nor  how  profound  its  thought,  nor  how  dig- 
nified its  delivery.  Sermons  are  strong  that  pull  down 
the  works  of  the  devil  and  capture  sinners  for  Jesus 
Christ. 

Seventh,  revival  preaching  must  be  intense.  It 
must  be  more  than  earnest;  it  must  be  charged  with 
suppressed  moral  electricity.  A  man  must  be  excited 
in  his  emotions,  and  yet  hold  them  in  restraint.  He 
must  so  feel  his  message  that  he  could  cry  aloud  on  the 
street-corner,  and  yet  must  hold  himself  in  leash,  as  a 
hunter  holds  back  his  dog,  that  quivers  with  excite- 
ment and  yet  keeps  silent  until  the  proper  moment. 
So  the  man  who  is  seeking  to  win  souls  by  his  message 
must  hold  his  emotions  in  leash,  but  they  must  be 
there,  and  if  they  are  not  there  the  sermon  will  fail  of 
its  highest  effectiveness.  If  there  is  any  lack  of  this 
feeling  it  can  only  be  brought  about  by  putting  him- 
self in  the  place  of  the  man  to  whom  he  is  preaching 
until  he  feels  like  Paul — that  he  is  in  prison  with  him, 
bound  with  him  in  like  chains — and  thus  his  message 
will  become  real. 

Eighth,  to  preach  effectively  in  revivals  the  preacher 
must  absorb  a  great  deal  of  the  Bible.  The  sermon 
must  be  saturated  with  the  Bible.  God  has  promised 
to  bless  his  own  Word,  and  the  people  to  whom  we 


PREACHING   NEEDED  IN   REVIVALS     37 

preach  must  feel  that  we  are  loyal  to  the  Word  of  God. 
Illustrations  drawn  from  the  Bible  are  peculiarly 
effective  in  times  of  revival. 

Ninths  the  preacher  must  be  conscious  that  he  is 
God's  man.  He  must  feel  like  Elijah  did  when  he 
strode  into  the  presence  of  Ahab  and  his  wicked  queen, 
and  said:  "As  the  Lord  God  of  Israel  liveth,  before 
whom  I  stand,  there  shall  not  be  dew  nor  rain  these 
years,  but  according  to  my  word."  He  must  feel  as 
Nathan  did  when  he  stood  before  David,  and  told  him 
the  story  of  the  ewe  lamb  until  David  has  committed 
himself,  and  then,  with  whitened  cheek  and  flashing 
eye  and  accusing  finger,  says  to  the  startled  and 
astounded  king:  "Thou  art  the  man!"  If  the 
preacher  feels  sure  that  God  is  with  him,  that  he 
stands  in  the  presence  of  the  living  God,  there  will  be 
a  glorious  independence  of  speech,  mingled  with  a 
deep  and  tender  love  for  the  people  to  whom  he 
speaks,  that  will  be  marvelously  effective. 

Tenth^  he  must  be  sensitive  to  the  Holy  Spirit.  He 
must  be  in  the  frame  of  mind  and  heart  that  Philip 
knew  when  he  was  caught  away  from  the  city  into  the 
desert,  and  which  he  felt  and  yielded  to  when  he 
climbed  into  the  chariot  of  the  Ethiopian  treasurer, 
and  preached  to  him  Christ.  The  presence  of  the 
Spirit  of  the  living  God  in  our  hearts,  giving  holy 
unction  to  the  message,  is  the  crowning  glory  of  the 
revival  preacher.  I  have  not  time  to  speak  of  many 
other  things,  but  must  not  fail  to  say  that  here,  as 
everywhere  else,  true  manhood,  unspotted  life  and 
genuine  character,  frank  and  open  and  read  of  all 
men,  is  tremendously  powerful. 


THE  MINISTER  AS  AN  EVANGELIST 

REV,   WILLIAM    PATTERSON,   PASTOR    OF    BETHANY    CHURCH, 
PHILADELPHIA 

The  work  of  the  Minister,  according  to  the  teaching 
of  the  New  Testament,  is  threefold. 

First,  he  is  to  feed  the  church  of  God — the  babes, 
with  the  sincere  milk  of  the  Word ;  and  those  who  are 
more  advanced  with  the  strong  meat  of  its  doctrines. 

Second,  he  is  to  care  for  those  over  whom  he  has 
been  placed  as  an  overseer  or  under-shepherd.  This 
twofold  aspect  of  the  work  was  very  clearly  brought 
out  by  our  Savior,  on  that  early  morning  when  He 
stood  by  the  Lake  of  Gennesaret  and  commanded 
Peter  to  feed  the  sheep  and  the  lambs  and  to  shepherd 
them.  We  are  all  agreed  as  to  the  importance  of  these 
two  departments  in  connection  with  the  minister's 
work ;  in  fact,  we  can  hardly  overestimate  the  impor- 
tance of  building  up  Christian  people  in  faith  and  in 
knowledge,  and  also  in  caring  for  them  as  the  shepherd 
cares  for  the  sheep,  by  leading  them  to  the  green  pas- 
tures and  the  quiet  waters. 

Third,  he  is  commanded  to  do  the  work  of  an 
Evangelist;  in  other  words,  to  reach  out  after  the 
unsaved  and  to  bring  into  the  fold  those  who  are  out- 
side. This  part  of  the  work  was  surely  referred  to 
when  Christ  called  the  disciples  and  told  them  that,  if 
they  would  follow  Him,  He  would  make  them  **fishers 

38 


THE   MINISTER   AS   AN   EVANGELIST    39 

of  men;"  that  as  they  had  in  the  past  drawn  the  fish 
out  of  the  sea  by  the  net,  they  would  in  the  future 
draw  men  from  the  sea  of  iniquity  to  the  rock  of  safety. 

If  we  look  at  our  Lord  as  the  great  example,  we  will 
see  that  while  He  was  the  greatest  of  all  teachers  and 
the  one  who  was  preparing  His  disciples  for  their  life 
work,  yet  His  great  mission  to  this  world  was  the  sav- 
ing of  the  lost.  His  very  name  meant  Savior,  and 
He  Himself  said  that  the  Father  sent  Him  into  the 
world  that  the  world  might  be  saved  through  Him, 
and  He  informed  the  murmuring  Pharisees  that  the 
Son  of  Man  came  to  seek  and  to  save  that  which  was 
lost.  Paul,  speaking  of  the  Savior's  work  in  after 
years,  said  that  Christ  Jesus  came  into  the  world  to 
save  sinners;  but  it  is  not  necessary  to  multiply  pas- 
sages of  scripture,  in  order  to  prove  that  the  great  mis- 
sion of  the  Master  was  to  save  the  lost. 

In  commanding  the  disciples,  He  told  them  that  as 
the  Father  had  sent  Him  into  the  world,  in  like  man- 
ner He  was  sending  them.  They  were  to  be  the  sav- 
iors of  men — not  in  the  sense  in  which  He  was,  by 
making  an  atonement  for  sin,  but  by  telling  to  the  lost 
ones  that  an  atonement  had  been  made ;  that  God  was 
reconciled  and  that  for  them  there  was  redemption  if 
they  would  turn  to  the  Savior.  Again,  before  He 
ascended  on  high  after  His  reurrection.  He  com- 
manded His  followers  to  go  into  all  the  world  and  to 
preach  the  Gospel  to  every  creature;  to  preach 
repentance  and  the  remission  of  sins  in  His  name, 
beginning  at  Jerusalem. 

The  great  work  of  the  church  is  the  evangelizing  of 
the  nations  and  the  saving  of  the  lost,  through  pro- 
claiming the  Gospel  of  the  Son  of  God.     We  are  not 


40    THE    MINISTER   AS   AN   EVANGELIST 

discussing  the  question  of  evangelists.  Some  say  they 
have  a  place  in  the  New  Testament  and  some  say  they 
have  not.  We  know  that  many  of  them  have  been 
instrumental  in  accomplishing  great  good;  that  God 
has  set  His  approval  on  their  work  and  that,  to-day, 
there  are  multitudes  rejoicing  in  the  salvation  of  Christ 
through  the  labors  of  evangelists.  We  know  on  the 
other  hand  that  some  of  them,  through  lack  of  grace 
or  lack  of  wisdom,  have  been  the  means  of  breaking 
up  congregations;  but  what  has  been  said  of  evan- 
gelists could  be  said  of  ministers  with  equal  truth. 
Many  of  them  have  been  wonderfully  blessed  in 
advancing  the  cause  of  God,  but  is  it  not  true  that 
some  of  them  have  broken  up  congregations  and 
injured  the  cause  they  were  representing?  The  question 
we  are  discussing  is  ''The  Minister  as  an  Evangelist." 
At  the  very  beginning  we  are  met  with  the  asser- 
tion that  many  ministers  have  not  the  evangelistic  gifts. 
It  is  true  that  some  ministers  are  better  adapted  for 
preaching  the  deep  things  of  God  and  for  edifying  the 
church  of  God  than  they  are  for  reaching  the  unsaved; 
while  others  are  better  adapted  for  evangelistic  work 
than  for  the  work  of  teaching  and  edifying  the  church; 
but  while  this  is  true,  every  minister  should  be  able  to 
show  the  unsaved  the  way  of  salvation.  If  we  expect 
our  Sabbath  School  teachers  to  bring  their  scholars  to 
Christ  through  their  teaching,  we  should  expect  the 
ministers  to  be  able  to  bring  sinners  to  a  knowledge 
of  Christ  as  their  Savior  through  their  preaching.  It 
will  not  do  for  a  minister  to  say:  **I  have  not  the  evan- 
gelistic gift,  and  therefore  the  lost  are  not  being  saved 
in  my  congregation.**  If  a  minister  is  not  qualified  to 
preach  to  sinners,  he  is  not  qualified  to  be  a  minister, 


THE   MINISTER   AS   AN   EVANGELIST    41 

and  he  should  never  be  set  apart  for  that  work  by  a 
Presbytery,  a  Council  or  a  Bishop. 

What  is  evangelistic  preaching,  or  what  does  it  mean 
to  do  the  work  of  an  evangelist?  It  is  not  being  able 
to  tell  anecdotes  in  an  interesting  manner,  or  to  clothe 
stories  with  beautiful  language,  but  it  is  the  present- 
ing of  the  truth  to  men  in  such  a  way  that  they  will 
see  themselves  as  sinners,  and  then  presenting  Christ 
to  them  as  the  Savior  of  sinners  in  such  a  way  that 
they  will  receive  Him  as  their  personal  Savior,  and 
thus  be  saved. 

If  we  glance  back  at  the  history  of  the  church  we 
shall  see  that  this  has  been  done  by  men  who  are  not 
designated  as  evangelists.  John  the  Baptist,  for 
example,  was  an  evangelistic  preacher,  for  he  was 
calling  men  to  repentance ;  and  on  the  Day  of  Pente- 
cost Peter's  sermon  was  evangelistic.  He  did  two 
things  in  that  sermon — he  convinced  the  multitudes 
that  they  were  sinners,  that  they  had  with  wicked 
hands  crucified  the  Son  of  God;  and  when  they  came 
to  see  themselves  as  sinners,  lost  and  condemned, 
Peter  presented  unto  them  the  way  of  salvation 
through  Christ.  Three  thousand  of  them  believed  his 
words  and  were  baptized.  Surely  this  was  an  evan- 
gelistic sermon,  and,  if  we  follow  through  the  Acts  of 
the  Apostles,  we  will  discover  that  not  only  Philip, 
who  was  called  an  evangelist,  but  that  the  Apostles 
and  teachers  as  well  were  evangelistic  preachers  and 
were  instrumental  in  bringing  men  into  the  Kingdom 
of  God. 

If  we  come  down  to  the  days  of  the  reformers  we 
will  find  that  men  like  Luther  and  Knox  were  evan- 
gelistic in  their  preaching,  for  they  preached  justifica- 


42    THE   MINISTER  AS   AN   EVANGELIST 

tion  by  faith.  Coming  down  further  in  the  history  of 
*^he  Church,  we  see  men  like  Rutherford  and  Mc- 
Cheyne,  who  were  wonderfully  gifted  for  edifying 
Christians ;  yet  these  men  were  great  evangelists,  for 
through  them  many  were  brought  to  a  saving  knowl- 
edge of  the  truth.  Again,  Chahners,  while  he  was  a 
great  philosopher  and  wonderful  theologian,  was  also 
an  evangelistic  preacher,  and  the  same  could  be  said 
of  Jonathan  Edwards,  under  whose  preaching  men 
trembled  and  cried  out:  "What  must  we  do  to  be 
saved?"  then,  if  we  turn  to  Spurgeon,  we  will  meet  a 
man  who  was  a  preacher  to  preachers,  and  yet  one  of 
the  greatest  evangelists  of  the  century ;  for  his  taber- 
nacle was  spoken  of  as  a  "soul  trap,"  a  place  where  so 
many  sinners  were  caught  and  brought  out  of  the 
darkness  of  sin  into  the  light  of  God. 

Dr.  John  Hall,  of  New  York,  was  also  evangelistic, 
and  presented  the  truth  in  as  forcible  and  clear  a  man- 
ner as  any  evangelist  ever  did.  On  one  occasion,  when 
the  audience  were  going  out  of  the  church  on  Fifth 
Avenue,  a  man  was  heard  to  say,  "The  old  man  gives 
a  fellow  no  chance  to  dodge" — in  other  words.  Dr. 
Hall  closed  up  every  false  way  of  escape  with  such 
thoroughness  that  the  sinner  could  see  no  way  of 
refuge  save  in  Christ. 

The  question  now  comes,  are  the  ministers  of  this 
country  and  of  this  age  doing  the  work  of  evangelists, 
and,  if  they  are,  how  shall  we  account  for  over  fifteen 
hundred  congregations  in  one  denomination  reporting 
no  additions  to  the  church  by  profession  of  faith  dur- 
ing the  year,  and  over  nineteen  hundred  in  another 
denomination  who  could  not  say  they  had  been  instru- 
mental in  saving  any  during  the  twelve  months  of  the 


THE   MINISTER   AS   AN   EVANGELIST    43 

year?  This  is  a  terrible  state  of  affairs.  Can  it  be 
that  ministers  are  leaving  the  work  of  soul-saving  to 
those  who  are  called  evangelists?  The  evangelist 
should  be  to  the  minister  and  congregation  what  the 
Sabbath  School  is  to  the  home — or  what  it  should  be  to 
the  home.  But  if  the  Sabbath  School  takes  the  place  of 
the  home,  it  fails  to  accomplish  its  mission,  and  that  is 
not  the  fault  of  the  Sabbath  School.  If  the  evangelist 
is  taking  the  place  of  the  minister  in  his  work  as  a 
soul-winner,  he  is  not  fulfilling  his  mission,  and  the 
fault  is  not  his,  but  the  minister's. 

It  may  be  that  this  is  true  to  a  certain  extent,  and 
that  ministers  do  not  look  for  or  expect  conversions 
except  when  they  are  having  what  are  called  "special 
meetings."  The  minister  should  expect  conversions 
at  every  service  where  the  unsaved  are  present.  Do 
not  let  us  blame  the  evangelists  unless  we  are  sure 
that  they  are  to  blame,  and  that  we,  as  ministers,  have 
done  our  duty  in  this  respect.  There  is  still  a  little  bit 
of  the  old  Adam  left  in  us  which  leads  us  to  roll  the 
blame  over  on  others,  or  try,  like  the  young  lawyer,  to 
justify  ourselves. 

I  hear  a  great  deal  of  discussion  in  this  country 
about  the  evening  service.  The  question  is,  how  are 
we  to  reach  the  people,  and  how  are  we  to  get  them 
to  come  out  to  the  evening  service?  I  do  not  wonder 
that  the  evening  congregations  in  many  churches  are 
very  small  when  I  see  advertised  the  subjects  upon 
which  the  ministers  preach.  So  many  of  these  sub- 
jects are  sensational  trash  or  semi-religious  topics. 
Some  ministers  seem  to  think  that  if  they  are  to  draw 
a  congregation,  they  must  discuss  some  political  or 
scientific  subject,  but  they  never  made  a  greater  mis- 


44    THE   MINISTER   AS   AN   EVANGELIST 

take,  for  there  is  nothing  that  will  draw  an  audience 
and  interest  an  audience  like  the  evangelistic  truth 
contained  in  the  Scriptures.  A  woman  who  was 
speaking  to  a  minister  concerning  the  crowds  of 
people  who  went  to  hear  him,  said:  "It  must  be  the 
Lord  who  is  bringing  them,  for  it  is  not  the  singing, 
and  I  am  sure  it  is  not  the  preaching."  It  was  rather 
a  strange  way  of  putting  the  case,  and  yet  it  was  true, 
for  singing  will  not  fill  an  empty  church;  that  is,  the 
classic  singing  we  hear  so  much  about  will  not.  It  has 
been  tried  in  this  country  and  it  has  failed.  There 
are  churches  which  pay  a  great  deal  of  money  for  sing- 
ing, and  yet  the  pews  are  not  crowded ;  neither  is  it  the 
preaching  which  will  draw,  apart  from  the  truth  of 
God,  for  we  have  many  preachers  who  are  bright 
scholars,  cultured  men,  gifted  and  fluent  speakers,  and 
yet  their  churches  are  far  from  full. 

On  the  other  hand,  there  are  churches  where  the 
ministers  could  not  be  called  scholarly,  or  eloquent, 
and  where  the  singing  is  not  by  any  means  classic,  and 
yet  they  have  large  congregations;  and  men  are  being 
saved  week  after  week  because  the  Gospel  is  preached 
in  sincerity,  in  simplicity,  and  with  power. 

I  take  it  for  granted  that  those  who  shall  read  these 
pages  are  anxious  to  be  instrumental  in  bringing  sin- 
ners to  a  knowledge  of  the  Savior,  and  I  shall  now 
refer  to  what  I  consider  a  few  essentials  in  the  accom- 
plishing of  this.  First  of  all,  we  must  have  power 
with  men  if  we  are  to  reach  and  win  them,  and  in 
order  to  have  this  power  we  must  be  right  with  God. 
I  believe  that  there  are  many  ministers  and  Christian 
workers  whose  names  are  in  the  Book  of  Life,  and  yet 
who  have  no  power  because  there  is  something  wrong 


THE  MINISTER  AS  AN  EVANGELIST     45 

in  their  lives.  It  is  probable  that  Jacob  was  a  child  of 
God  from  the  night  when  he  first  met  the  Lord  at 
Bethel ;  yet  for  twenty  years,  as  far  as  we  can  gather, 
his  life  was  powerless  and  fruitless.  But  when  he  met 
with  the  angel  who  changed  his  name  from  Jacob  to 
Israel,  he  was  informed  that  he  would  have  power  with 
men  because  he  had  power  with  God ;  and  that  power 
made  itself  manifest  on  the  following  day,  when  the 
wrath  of  his  brother,  Esau,  was  turned  away. 

David  was  a  man  who  had  power  with  God  and 
power  with  men;  yet  he  lost  that  power  through 
sin  and,  in  Psalm  51,  he  is  praying  for  a  restoration  of 
the  joy  of  salvation  for  cleansing;  and  he  adds  that,  as 
a  result,  sinners  will  be  converted  unto  God.  It  has 
pleased  God  to  save  sinners  by  what  may  be  called  the 
foolishness  of  preaching.  God  is  reaching  the  unsaved 
through  those  already  redeemed — through  His  Church, 
which  is  the  one  and  only  divine  institution  in  the 
world.  Men  and  women  who  have  put  their  confi- 
dence in  Him  are  the  channels  through  which  His  sal- 
vation is  to  reach  all  who  are  outside  the  Kingdom  of 
God,  and,  if  there  is  anything  wrong  with  that  channel, 
to  that  extent  the  work  of  saving  the  world  will  be 
affected. 

We  may  take  an  illustration  to  make  this  more  plain. 
Suppose  we  have  a  great  reservoir  full  of  water,  on 
a  hill,  and  a  city  in  the  valley,  and  pipes  connecting 
the  reservoir  with  the  homes  of  the  people.  The 
water  which  they  receive  from  the  reservoir  will  come 
through  these  pipes  as  the  channels.  Something  may 
happen  to  the  pipes — they  may  be  frozen  by  the  cold 
atmosphere  surrounding  them  or  they  may  become 
choked  with  sand  or  earth  getting  into  them ;  in  either 


46    THE   MINISTER   AS   AN   EVANGELIST 

case  the  water  will  cease  to  flow  and  the  inhabitants 
will  suffer.  The  same  may  happen  to  those  who  are 
the  channels  conveying  the  love  and  forgiveness  of 
God  to  the  sinners  who  are  unsaved.  Christians  may 
become  so  cold  and  so  indifferent  or  they  may  become 
so  engrossed  with  science  or  philosophy  or  the  things 
of  the  world  that  they  may  cease  to  be  the  channels 
through  which  God's  forgiveness  will  reach  men;  and 
as  the  water-pipes  to  which  we  have  referred  cannot 
thaw  themselves  nor  cleanse  themselves,  neither  can 
men  who  have  got  into  this  state  restore  themselves  to 
a  state  of  usefulness.  The  power  to  do  this  must  come 
from  without;  and  so  we  find  David  calling  upon  God 
to  cleanse  him  and  to  stay  him  with  His  free  spirit  so 
that  sinners  might  be  converted. 

The  first  essential,  then,  is  to  see  that  we  are  right 
with  God — that  we  are  in  perfect  fellowship  with  Him 
— and  then  we  can  be  the  channels  through  which  He 
can  reach  the  ungodly  and  the  sinful. 

Another  essential  in  this  work  is  love.  In  speaking 
of  the  gifts  which  were  given  to  men  in  i  Cor.,  chapter 
12,  Paul  exhorted  them  to  choose  the  best  gifts;  and 
then  he  went  on,  in  chapter  13,  to  show  them  the  more 
excellent  way.  There  he  speaks  of  love  as  the  great- 
est and  most  enduring  of  all  the  gifts;  and  without  it, 
he  says,  a  man  is  as  sounding  brass  or  tinkling  cymbal. 
We  will  never  reach  men  nor  be  instrumental  in  saving 
them  unless  we  love  them ;  and  the  more  of  Christ  we 
have  in  our  hearts,  the  more  compassion  we  will  have 
for  the  lost. 

How  many  wonderful  pictures  of  Christ  are  pre- 
sented to  us  in  the  Gospels.  At  one  time  we  see  Him 
looking  with  compassion  upon  the  multitudes  because 


THE   MINISTER   AS   AN   EVANGELIST    47 

they  are  as  sheep  without  a  shepherd ;  at  another  time 
we  see  Him  beholding  the  great  city  through  His 
tears,  and  hear  Him  cry  out,  "O  Jerusalem,  Jerusa- 
lem, how  oft  would  I  have  gathered  thee,  but  ye  would 
not."  If  we  look  at  Paul,  His  greatest  Apostle,  we 
will  see  this  same  truth  made  manifest.  Before  his 
conversion  he  hated  men  and  consented  to  the  stoning 
of  Stephen;  after  his  conversion,  he  said  that  his 
heart's  desire  and  prayer  to  God  for  Israel  was  that 
they  might  be  saved.  Though  these  very  people  were 
persecuting  him.  He  could  say  with  all  his  soul: 
** Grace  be  with  all  them  that  love  the  Lord  Jesus  Christ 
in  sincerity  and  truth."  But,  in  addition  to  this  love 
for  the  saints,  he  had  a  passion  for  the  souls  of  the 
lost.  When  our  hearts  become  full  of  love  to  Christ, 
they  will  go  out  in  compassion  and  in  love  to  the  lost 
sheep  who  have  wandered  from  the  fold  and,  like  the 
faithful  shepherd,  we  will  be  anxious  to  go  after  them, 
though  the  night  be  dark  and  though  difficulties  lie  in 
the  way.  The  work  will  be  a  pleasure  if  our  hearts  are 
in  it,  and  we  will  be  anxious  to  bring  back  those  who 
have  gone  astray ;  but  without  this  love  the  work  of  the 
minister  is  the  greatest  drudgery  and  the  fruits  will 
never  be  made  manifest. 

Another  essential  to  success  is  obedience,  and  it  is  a 
proof  of  love,  for  Christ  said:  '*If  ye  love  me  keep  my 
commandments."  Now,  I  believe  that  some  of  us  are 
failing  in  the  work  because  we  have  not  obeyed  the 
voice  of  God  in  all  things,  and  there  is  nothing  that 
will  take  the  place  of  obedience.  If  we  go  back  to  the 
history  of  the  Old  Testament,  we  shall  discover  that  the 
failure  of  Saul  was  due  to  his  disobeying  the  voice  of 
the  Lord.    He  had  everything  in  his  favor  at  the  start, 


48    THE   MINISTER   AS   AN   EVANGELIST 

yet  he  made  shipwreck  of  himself  and  of  the  nation, 
and  we  know,  from  Samuel's  message  to  him,  that  all 
his  failure  was  brought  about  through  his  disobeying 
the  voice  of  the  Lord.  On  the  other  hand,  if  we  look 
at  David,  who  seemingly  had  everything  against  him 
at  the  start,  we  see  that  he  overcame  all  dfficulties, 
gathered  together  the  scattered  fragments  of  the  nation, 
established  a  throne  so  great  and  so  glorious  that  the 
Son  of  God  was  spoken  of  as  the  Son  of  David,  and 
the  key  to  David's  success  we  find  in  the  prayer,  "Show 
me  Thy  way,  O  Lord."  He  had  his  failings,  and  some 
of  his  sins  were  great  and  grievous,  but  all  his  strength 
and  all  the  success  he  ever  attained  lay  in  his  obedi- 
ence to  the  voice  of  God. 

Take  as  another  example  the  prophet  Jonah.  He  was 
commanded  to  go  to  Nineveh  and  preach  to  the  people, 
but  for  reasons  known  to  himself  and  only  guessed  at 
by  us,  he  turned  his  back  upon  the  great  city  and  made 
for  Tarshish.  While  in  the  path  of  disobedience  he 
was  unhappy  himself  and  brought  sorrow  to  the  sailors 
and  great  loss  to  those  who  had  sent  their  merchandise 
on  the  vessel  in  which  he  took  passage ;  but  just  as 
soon  as  he  got  into  the  path  of  obedience  and  went  to 
the  city  as  he  was  commanded,  he  was  instrumental 
in  bringing  the  whole  city  to  repentance  and  in  turn- 
ing away  the  wrath  of  an  angry  God. 

If  we  turn  to  Saul  or  Paul,  the  greatest  Apostle  of 
New  Testament  times,  we  get  the  key  to  his  wonder- 
ful success  in  the  second  question  which  he  asked  the 
Lord,  when  he  said:  ''What  wilt  Thou  have  me  to 
do?"  If  we  follow  him  all  through  his  missionary 
journeys,  we  will  see  that  his  desire  to  obey  the  divine 
will  makes  itself  manifest  continually.     If  God  tells 


THE    MINISTER   AS   AN    EVANGELIST    49 

him  to  leave  Asia  he  will  go,  no  matter  what  the  result 
may  be ;  if  God  tells  him  to  enter  into  Europe  he  will 
go,  no  matter  what  the  difficulties  may  be  which  stand 
in  the  way.  Like  a  faithful  soldier,  he  was  continually 
awaiting  the  command  of  his  captain,  and  his  delight 
was  to  obey. 

If  God  sends  any  of  us  to  a  certain  field,  and  if,  for 
reasons  known  to  ourselves,  we  refuse  to  go,  we  need 
not  expect  to  be  instrumental  in  saving  the  lost.  God 
has  a  plan  for  every  man  and  a  field  for  every  worker; 
if  we  are  where  He  wants  us  to  be,  and  are  doing  the 
work  that  He  wants  us  to  do,  success  will  surely  crown 
our  efforts.  To  obey  is  better  than  sacrifice  and,  if 
we  commit  our  ways  to  Him,  He  surely  will  direct  our 
steps.  If  we  are  anxious  to  do  His  will,  we  will  hear 
a  voice  saying:  '*This  is  the  way;  walk  ye  in  it." 
Whether  the  field  be  large  or  small,  whether  the  work 
be  popular  or  obscure,  if  we  are  in  the  place  where  He 
has  put  us  we  can  look  to  Him  for  the  power  and  the 
help  without  which  our  efforts  would  be  in  vain. 

Another  essential  for  soul-saving  is  wisdom,  or  tact. 
When  the  Savior  was  sending  His  disciples  out  He 
told  them  to  be  wise  as  serpents.  In  trying  to  reach 
men  we  must  know  how  to  deal  with  them.  Looking 
at  some  of  the  figures  which  our  Savior  used  will  help 
us  to  understand  it  more  fully.  He  spoke  of  Himself 
as  the  physician  and,  in  a  certain  sense.  His  disciples 
and  followers  are  physicians  for  the  healing  of  the 
souls  of  men.  Now,  it  is  not  only  necessary  for  a  phy- 
sican  to  understand  the  remedy,  but  he  must  also 
understand  the  patients  and  diseases  for  which  these 
remedies  are  intended ;  because  what  would  give  heal- 
ing to  one  might  bring  death  to  another;  so  he  must 


50    THE   MINISTER   AS   AN   EVANGELIST 

make  a  diagnosis  of  the  cases,  and  treat  the  man 
accordingly.  It  is  so  in  dealing  with  men  spiritually ; 
it  is  not  enough  for  us  to  know  the  Word  of  God  and  to 
be  thoroughly  acquainted  with  its  doctrines,  but  we 
must  know  something  of  the  spiritual  condition  of  the 
people  with  whom  we  are  dealing.  Understand,  there 
is  no  use  talking  to  a  man  who  has  had  no  sense  of  sin 
about  the  salvation  from  sin.  He  does  not  want  a 
Savior  because  he  has  never  felt  his  need.  We  often 
err  by  bringing  men  to  Mt.  Calvary  who  have  never 
seen  Mt.  Sinai.  The  first  thing  to  do  with  a  man  who 
has  never  seen  himself  as  a  sinner  is  to  convince  him, 
by  the  use  of  God's  Word,  that  he  is  lost,  and  then 
salvation  will  have  some  meaning  for  him ;  or,  when 
we  have  a  man  who  is  being  crushed  through  a  sense 
of  his  sins  and  who  is  almost  in  despair,  it  would  not  do 
to  bring  that  man  the  passages  of  scripture  that  speak 
about  the  wrath  of  God.  We  must  reveal  to  him  the 
remedy,  and  show  him  God  as  a  refuge  for  those  who 
are  in  trouble. 

Then  we  are  spoken  of  as  ** fishers  of  men,"  and,  if 
the  figure  means  anything,  it  means  that  wisdom  and 
skill  are  necessary  to  accomplish  this  work.  A  fisher- 
man must  in  some  way  come  in  contact  with  the  fish 
before  he  can  catch  them.  He  must  go  to  where  they 
are,  or  else  get  them  to  come  where  he  is.  He  must 
study  their  ways  so  as  to  know  how  best  to  catch  them. 
There  are  two  kinds  of  fishermen  who  never  catch  any 
fish — one  class  take  nothing  with  them  but  the  hook, 
and  the  fish  look  at  it  and  pass  on ;  another  class  take  no 
hook,  but  a  considerable  amount  of  bait.  As  a  general 
thing  the  latter  have  a  large  following.  The  fish  enjoy 
and  appreciate  such  men ;  they  swallow  their  bait  and 


THE   MINISTER   AS   AN   EVANGELIST    51 

go  their  way,  and  the  fisherman  congratulates  himself 
upon  seeing  so  many  fish  in  the  clear  stream  that  go 
after  his  bait,  but  he  has  not  made  a  catch.  How 
often  this  is  done  by  ministers!  Some  present  the 
truth  in  such  a  bald  bare  way  that  men  keep  clear  of 
them.  Others  give  the  people  nothing  but  bait, 
stories,  anecdotes  and  a  lot  of  stuff  that  people  seem 
to  be  pleased  with,  but  there  is  no  divine  hook,  and 
the  preacher  fails  to  save  men.  The  true  method  is 
to  have  the  hook  and  the  bait,  to  be  all  things  to  all 
men,  like  the  Apostle  Paul,  that  we  may  gain  some. 
It  is  true  that  the  wise  fisherman,  having  everything 
that  is  necessary,  may  fail  to  catch  all  the  fish  in  the 
stream ;  and  it  is  just  as  true  that  the  wise  or  faithful 
minister  may  fail  to  reach  all  the  unsaved  in  the  com- 
munity, but  surely  it  is  equally  true  that  as  the  fisher- 
man cannot  catch  any  fish  without  complying  with 
certain  laws  and  fulfilling  certain  conditions,  neither 
can  the  minister  reach  men  if  he  violates  the  laws 
according  to  which  the  Spirit  of  God  works  in  the  con- 
viction and  salvation  of  men.  God  has  promised  wis- 
dom to  those  who  ask,  and  if  we  are  wise  to  win  souls 
the  reward  will  be  glorious;  for  *'we  shall  shine  as  the 
stars  forever  and  ever." 

Another  essential  in  this  work  is  realizing  the  value 
of  a  soul  and  what  it  means  for  a  soul  to  be  saved  or  to 
be  lost.  Our  Savior  informed  us  that  there  is  joy  in 
the  presence  of  the  angels  of  God  over  one  sinner  who 
repents.  This  joy  is  not  among  the  angels,  but  in  their 
presence;  and  it  must  mean  that  the  joy  is  in  the 
Father's  heart,  as  the  joy  was  in  the  shepherd's  heart 
when  he  found  the  sheep  and  in  the  woman's  heart 
when  she   found  the  coin   and  in  the  father's  heart 


52    THE   MINISTER  AS  AN   EVANGELIST 

when  the  lost  son  was  found.  God  doesn't  rejoice 
over  trifles,  and  we  see  the  other  side  of  this  when  we 
look  at  the  tears  of  Christ  over  the  doomed  city ;  and 
we  may  rest  assured  that  Christ  never  wept  over  trifles. 
We  have  God  the  Father  rejoicing  over  a  sinner  being 
saved ;  we  have  God  the  Son  weeping  over  sinners  who 
are  perishing;  we  have  God  giving  His  Son  to  save  sin- 
ners ;  we  have  Christ  bearing  the  agony  of  Gethsemane 
and  the  shame  of  Calvary  that  the  lost  might  be  saved. 
Surely  this  ought  to  convince  us  of  the  value  of  a  soul 
in  the  sight  of  God,  and,  if  once  we  realize  this,  we  shall 
then  have  a  passion  for  souls,  but  we  shall  never  be 
satisfied  with  our  efforts  so  long  as  the  unsaved  are 
around  us  or  in  our  congregations.  This  thought  will 
help  us  in  preparing  our  sermons;  it  will  help  us  in 
delivering  the  sermons ;  it  will  give  us  a  goal  to  strive 
after ;  it  will  enable  us  to  reach  the  highest  and  truest 
result — the  bringing  of  these  men  to  the  feet  of  the 
Savior. 

Now,  a  word  about  methods.  I  have  tried  as  a  pas- 
tor to  do  the  work  of  an  evangelist  for  fourteen  years 
in  one  congregation.  As  a  general  rule,  the  morning 
sermons  were  more  for  building  up  Christians,  and  the 
evening  sermons  were  intended  to  reach  sinners.  Of 
course  there  were  exceptions,  because  there  are  the 
unsaved  who  come  to  the  morning  services,  and  there 
are  many  Christians  who  come  to  the  evening  services, 
and  this  has  to  be  taken  into  account;  but,  as  a 
general  rule,  I  think  it  is  well  to  have  most  of  the 
preaching  in  the  morning  for  the  Christians,  and 
most  of  the  preaching  in  the  evening  with  a  view 
to  reaching  the  unsaved.  I  have  never  resorted  to 
any  sensational   methods,   never  advertised  subjects, 


THE   MINISTER   AS   AN   EVANGELIST    53 

but  preached  the  Gospel  in  its  simplicity  as  I  knew 
it  and  as  I  believed  it,  and  those  in  connection 
with  the  church  to  which  I  refer  would  bear  me 
testimony  that  during  the  fourteenth  year  of  my 
ministry  the  audiences  were  larger,  and  more  people 
were  unable  to  gain  admittance  to  the  evening  serv- 
ices during  that  winter  than  ever  before.  During 
these  years  2,750  people  united  with  that  congrega- 
tion, of  which  number  1,449  "united  by  profession  of 
faith,  and  a  large  number,  during  these  years,  who 
were  converted  at  the  regular  services,  united  with 
other  churches.  This  was  the  regular  work  of  a  min- 
ister who  at  the  same  time  was  trying  to  do  the  work 
of  an  evangelist. 

I  have  been  frequently  told  that  methods  which  are 
successful  in  Toronto  might  not  be  successful  in 
other  cities ;  but  I  have  tried  the  same  style  of  preach- 
ing in  the  city  of  Boston  in  the  month  of  August  and 
in  the  month  of  January  with  the  same  results  which  I 
had  in  Toronto,  and  at  the  present  time  I  am  trying 
the  same  methods  in  the  city  of  Philadelphia,  with  the 
same  results  which  I  had  in  Toronto.  I  make  this 
personal  reference  for  the  purpose  of  showing  that  I 
am  not  talking  theory,  but  in  this  article  speaking  of 
things  of  which  I  know. 

When  a  student  at  college,  I  believed  in  the  power 
of  the  Gospel  to  attract  men  and  to  save  men.  I  went 
out  of  college  more  than  fourteen  years  ago  into  the 
ministry,  and  I  am  now  more  thoroughly  convinced 
than  ever  that  the  Gospel  is  the  power  of  God  unto 
salvation.  If  it  is  presented  in  sincerity  and  in  sim- 
plicity it  will  interest  the  people ;  and  it  is  our  business 
as  ministers  not  only  to  study  the  Word  of  God,  but  to 


54    THE   MINISTER  AS  AN   EVANGELIST 

prepare  and  to  deliver  our  sermons  in  such  a  way  that 
people  will  be  interested  and  that  sinners  will  be 
saved.  I  fully  realize  the  meaning  of  what  our  Lord 
said  to  the  disciples  in  the  fifteenth  chapter  of  John, 
*' Without  me  ye  can  do  nothing,"  but  I  am  sure  that 
if  we  are  doing  our  best  in  His  name  and  in  His  cause 
that  He  will  own  our  efforts. 

The  question  now  comes,  are  we  doing  our  best,  or 
are  we  offering  to  Him  our  second  best?  Are  we  rest- 
ing satisfied  if  the  finances  and  other  things  in  con- 
nection with  the  congregation  are  satisfactory,  while 
all  around  us  the  souls  of  men  are  dying  and  the  Mas- 
ter is  calling  for  us,  not  only  to  build  up  His  people  in 
faith,  but  to  do  the  work  of  an  evangelist?  Surely,  if 
He  died  that  men  might  be  saved,  we  should  put  forth 
every  effort  to  make  known  unto  men  the  way  of  life 
through  the  crucified,  the  risen  and  the  exalted 
Redeemer. 


ORGANIZING  FOR  REVIVAL  V^ORK 

BY   REV.    LEN   G.    BROUGHTON 

To  have  a  "successful  revival  in  any  community, 
whether  city,  village,  or  country,  there  is  needed  a 
certain  amount  of  organization.  The  fact  is,  nothing 
goes  well  to-day  without  organization.  I  know  a  mar. 
who  represented  his  district  in  Congress  four  consecu 
live  sessions,  and  never  had  any  kind  of  organization 
and  never  made  a  speech  in  the  district.  He  simple- 
would  announce  himself  a  candidate,  and  that  was  the 
end  of  it  so  far  as  his  work  was  concerned.  But  this  was 
a  long  time  ago.  In  that  same  district  to-day,  if  that 
man  desired  to  go  to  Congress  he  would  have  to  organ- 
ize his  forces  into  one  large  club,  and  it  would  be 
divided  into  smaller  clubs,  and  they  would  split  up 
into  still  smaller  bands,  and  these  divide  up  into  per- 
sonal workers.  This  would  be  necessary  to  find  every 
voter  in  the  district.  I  saw  a  statement  some  years 
ago  to  the  effect  that  during  one  presidential  campaign 
there  could  not  be  found  a  single  doubtful  voter  who 
had  not  been  seen  by  somebody  with  reference  to  his 
vote.  What  thorough  organization  these  politicians 
have !  And  what  a  lesson  the  church  to-day  ought  to 
get  from  studying  their  methods.  Jesus  Christ  him- 
self was  a  man  of  organization.  He  had  His  disciples 
and  then  divided  them  up  and  sent  them  out  two  by 
two. 

Not  long  after  I  entered  the  ministry  I  went  to  a 

55 


56      ORGANIZING   FOR   REVIVAL   WORK 

certain  town  to  hold  a  series  of  meetings.  It  was  one 
of  those  good  Southern  towns,  the  inhabitants  of 
which  banked  on  aristocracy  and  fed  their  souls  upon 
the  glory  of  departed  days.  They  had  never  known 
what  it  was  to  be  spiritually  warm.  The  first  night  I 
was  there  I  preached  to  a  great  audience.  That  was 
in  my  early  ministry,  when  I  made  many  propositions. 
The  first  one  I  made  that  night  was  for  anyone  to 
stand  who  wanted  prayers  offered  for  his  friends. 
As  soon  as  I  made  it  a  little  boy  got  up  and  walked  out 
into  the  aisle,  where  he  stood  looking  me  square  in  the 
face.  I  said:  *'God  bless  you,  little  man!"  and  he  sat 
down.  I  then  asked  anyone  who  wanted  the  prayers 
of  God's  people  to  rise.  That  boy  got  up  in  the  aisle 
again  and  looked  me  in  the  face,  and  again  I  said: 
•'God  bless  you!"  I  asked  if  there  was  anybody  pres- 
ent who  was  willing  to  accept  Jesus.  That  boy  stood 
up  again  and  looked  me  in  the  face,  and  again  I  said: 
"  God  bless  you!"  Nobody  else  stood  up  that  night, 
and  I  began  to  think  I  had  struck  the  hardest  and  cold- 
est crowd  I  had  ever  run  up  against. 

The  next  night  I  preached  as  hard  as  I  knew  how  to 
sinners  and,  when  I  finished,  I  asked  anybody  who 
wanted  to  be  prayed  for  to  stand  up.  That  same  little 
rascal  popped  out  into  the  aisle  as  he  had  done  the 
night  before  and  stood  looking  at  me  till  I  saw  him, 
and  said,  "God  bless  you!"  I  thought  I'd  vary  the 
thing  a  little,  so  I  asked  if  anybody  present  was  will- 
ing to  come  forward  and  give  me  his  hand  as  an  indi- 
cation that  he  would  accept  Jesus.  That  same  boy 
came  shuffling  out  of  his  seat,  straight  down  the  aisle, 
and  gave  me  his  hand.  I  saw  smiles  on  the  faces  of 
some    in   the    congregation.      Nobody   but   the    boy 


ORGANIZING   FOR   REVIVAL   WORK      57 

showed  any  interest,  and  I  went  off  somewhat  dis- 
heartened. The  third  night  I  preached,  and  when  I 
asked  all  who  wanted  prayer  to  rise,  that  boy  popped 
out  into  the  aisle.  The  people  had  begun  to  regard  it  as 
a  joke,  and  they  nudged  each  other  with  their  elbows, 
while  a  broad  smile  flared  from  one  side  of  the  house 
to  the  other.  When  I  asked  anybody  who  was  willing 
to  accept  Jesus  to  come  and  give  me  his  hand,  that 
boy  came,  and  the  congregation  smiled  broader  than 
before,  and  some  actually  tittered.  After  the  meeting 
the  deacons  came  to  me  and  told  me  that  the  boy  must 
be  stopped,  as  he  was  a  half-idiot,  and  was  throwing  a 
damper  on  the  meeting.  I  said  "Stop  nothing!  How 
are  you  going  to  throw  a  damper  on  an  ice-house?" 

For  the  whole  of  that  week  the  boy  was  the  only  per- 
son in  the  house  who  showed  any  interest  in  the  meet- 
ing. Then  he  wanted  to  join  the  church.  The  pastor 
was  absent,  and  I  was  to  open  the  doors  of  the  church. 
I  said:  "Look  here,  brethren,  I  want  to  take  this 
responsibility  on  my  hands.  I'm  going  to  put  that 
boy  on  you,  and  if  you  choose  to  reject  him,  his  blood 
be  on  your  hands. ' '  At  the  conclusion  of  the  morning 
service,  I  invited  all  who  desired  to  unite  with  the 
church  to  come  forward.  That  boy  came.  I  asked 
him  if  he  had  accepted  Christ  for  his  personal  Savior. 
That's  all  I  ever  ask.  He  said  he  had.  "Brethren," 
said  I,  "you  hear  what  this  boy  has  to  say.  What  will 
you  do  with  him?"  An  ominous  silence  fell  on  the 
congregation.  After  a  time,  from  way  back  by  the 
door,  I  heard  a  muffled  and  rather  surly,  "I  move  he 
be  received."  Another  painful  silence  followed,  and 
then  from  the  middle  of  the  church  I  heard  a  muffled, 
"I  second  the  motion. "     When  I  put  the  motion  about 


S8       ORGANIZING   FOR   REVIVAL   WORK 

half  a  dozen  members  voted  "Aye"  in  a  tone  so  low 
that  it  seemed  as  if  they  were  scared.  I  gave  the  boy 
the  right  hand  of  Christian  welcome  awaiting  baptism, 
and  then  dismissed  the  congregation. 

The  next  day  the  boy  went  out  to  see  his  old  grand- 
father, a  man  whose  whitened  head  was  blossoming 
for  the  grave,  and  whose  feet  were  taking  hold  upon 
the  shifting  sands  of  eternity.  "Grandfather,"  said 
he,  "won't  you  go  to  church  with  me  to-night  and  hear 
that  preacher?"  We  always  feel  kindly  towards  those 
who  are  afflicted,  you  know,  and  we  are  willing  to 
please  them ;  so  the  old  man  agreed  to  go. 

That  night  I  saw  the  boy  and  the  old  man  sitting 
away  back  near  the  door.  When  the  sermon  was  fin- 
ished one  of  the  members  of  the  church  arose  and 
said:  "I  have  a  request  to  make.  We  have  with  us 
to-night  Mr.  Blank,  one  of  the  oldest  and  most 
respected  citizens,  but  he  is  out  of  Christ.  I  want 
special  prayer  offered  for  this,  my  special  friend." 
With  that  he  laid  his  hand  upon  the  head  of  the  old 
man,  down  whose  furrowed  cheeks  the  tears  were 
streaming.  The  next  night  I  saw  the  old  man  sitting 
half  way  down  the  aisle.  When  all  who  wanted  to 
accept  Jesus  were  invited  to  come  forward  and  give 
me  their  hand,  I  saw  the  half-idiotic  boy  coming  down 
the  aisle  leading  the  old  man  by  the  hand. 

That  little  boy's  father  kept  a  saloon.  The  follow- 
ing day  the  child  went  there,  and  climbing  up  over  the 
high  counter,  he  peeped  down  upon  his  father  and 
said:  "Papa,  won't  you  go  to  church  with  me  to-night 
to  hear  that  preacher?"  "You  get  out  of  here,  child, 
go  out  of  here,"  said  the  father;  "don't  you  know  you 
mustn't  come  in  here?" 


ORGANIZING   FOR   REVIVAL   WORK      59 

Strange,  strange,  how  fathers  will  keep  places  into 
which  their  children  cannot  go ! 

**But,  papa,"  continued  the  boy,  "won't  you  go  to 
church  with  me  to-night?"  *'Yes,  I'll  go,  but  you  get 
out  of  here." 

That  night  the  man  came  with  the  half-idiot  boy  and 
sat  about  where  the  old  man  had  sat  the  night  before. 
When  I  asked  all  who  would  accept  Christ  to  come  for- 
ward, he  walked  down  the  aisle  and  gave  me  his  hand. 
He  asked  if  he  could  make  a  statement,  and  when  I 
said  "Yes,"  he  faced  the  congregation  and  said:  "My 
friends,  you  all  know  me,  and  I  want  to  say  that  so 
long  as  I  live  I  will  never  sell  another  drop  of  whisky, 
for  I  have  given  my  heart  to  God  to-night,  and  from 
this  day  forward  I  propose  to  serve  Him."  The  meet- 
ing warmed  up  at  last,  the  town  was  set  on  fire  for 
God,  every  saloon-keeper  was  converted,  and  every 
saloon  for  seven  miles  in  the  country  was  closed  and  the 
keeper  was  converted  to  God.  This  experience  taught 
me  a  valuable  lesson  at  the  very  beginning  of  my  min- 
istry, and  I  thank  God  for  every  blessing  that  has  come 
to  me  through  the  exercise  of  it  till  this  day. 

HOW   SHALL  WE   ORGANIZE? 

Of  course,  every  man  has  his  method  and  every 
community  will  have  to  vary  according  to  the  local 
conditions.  But,  generally  speaking,  I  would  insist 
first  of  all  upon  at  least  a  week  of  united  prayer  on  the 
part  of  the  church  or  the  general  movement  which 
may  be  made  up  of  any  number  of  churches.  Let  the 
burden  of  the  prayer  be  for  the  enduement  of  power 
for  the  workers,  and  guidance  of  the  Holy  Spirit  in 


6o      ORGANIZING   FOR   REVIVAL   WORK 

the  details  of  the  work.  I  would  suggest  at  these 
meetings  of  prayer  that  special  Bible  studies  directed 
to  the  deepening  of  the  spiritual  life  of  the  Christians, 
and  the  salvation  of  the  souls  of  the  unsaved,  and  the 
Holy  Spirit's  work,  be  given. 

After  this  week  of  prayer  on  the  part  of  the  church 
or  the  group  of  churches,  let  the  church  or  general 
movemeHt  appoint  a  general  committee,  making  it 
large  enough  to  meet  the  emergency  and  yet  not  so 
large  as  to  be  cumbersome.  This  committee  is  to 
carry  on  for  a  week  a  series  of  cottage  prayer-meet- 
ings. This  can  be  done  in  country  districts  as  easily 
almost  as  in  cities  or  villages.  By  this  committee 
the  territory  is  to  be  divided  and  a  superintendent 
appointed  for  each  division.  Then  he  will  group 
around  him  a  certain  number  of  men  and  women  who 
will  agree  to  stand  by  the  meetings,  from  house  to 
house,  rain  or  shine.  The  homes  of  the  rich  as  well  as 
of  the  poor  are  to  be  taken  in  and  every  section  at  all 
in  touch  with  the  church  or  churches  should  be  cov- 
ered in  this  way.  At  these  cottage  meetings  not  only 
should  there  be  Bible-study  along  the  lines  already 
suggested  for  the  week  of  prayer  by  the  church  or 
churches,  and  not  only  have  prayer  for  the  work  and 
the  workers,  but  a  carefully  prepared  list  of  the 
unsaved  and  the  backsliders  and  all  lukewarm  Chris- 
tians should  be  taken.  At  the  close  of  this  week  of 
prayer,  which  will  be  seen  to  have  been  also  a  week  of 
the  very  best  advertisement  and  of  gathering  statistics 
concerning  the  very  matter  that  is  desired  in  the  meet- 
ing which  is  to  be  held,  these  names,  taken  by  these 
workers  in  their  respective  meetings  throughout  the 
various  sections  of  the  community,  are  to  be  turned 


ORGANIZING   FOR   REVIVAL   WORK      61 

over  to  the  chairman  of  the  cottage  meetings,  who  will 
carefully  arrange  them  to  be  used  by  the  workers  when 
the  meeting  proper  has  begun. 

THE    REVIVAL   STARTS 

Now,  then,  when  this  preparation  has  been  made,  we 
will  suppose  the  meeting  to  begin  on  Sunday.  At  the 
first  general  service  of  the  meeting  the  preacher  or 
evangelist  in  charge  would  find  it  greatly  to  the 
advantage  of  the  meeting  to  have  an  after  meeting  for 
the  purpose  of  conferring  with  and  further  organizing 
the  workers.  The  pastor  or  pastors  connected  with 
the  work  should  then  appoint  as  many  special  personal 
workers,  both  men  and  women,  as  will  be  needed  to 
thoroughly  look  after  the  work  in  the  church  or  place 
where  the  meeting  is  held.  Of  course,  those  who 
have  already  been  in  the  organization  would  do  good 
work  in  this  capacity.  What  he  wants  is  workers 
whose  sympathies  are  thoroughly  enlisted  and  who  are 
filled  with  the  Spirit. 

I  would  say  in  an  ordinary  church  meeting  there 
should  be  from  fifty  to  a  hundred  men,  and  the  same 
number  of  women,  appointed  to  do  this  work.  A 
chairman  is  to  be  selected  for  each  group.  They  are 
then  to  be  assigned  to  their  places  throughout  the 
audience.  Try  as  far  as  possible  to  put  them  within 
ten  feet  of  each  other.  -  The  chairmen  of  these  groups 
will  of  course  be  expected  to  keep  the  number  up  to 
the  point  of  necessity.  If  more  are  needed,  they  must 
find  more.  If  some  drop  out  others  must  take  their 
places.  These  men  and  women  are  expected  to  bring 
their  Bibles,  and  are  to  be  given  instructions  as  to  how 


62      ORGANIZING   FOR   REVIVAL   WORK 

to  use  them  in  pointing  the  unsaved  to  Christ.  After 
the  sermon,  when  an  effort  is  made  to  reach  the 
unsaved,  these  workers  thus  arranged  are  able  to  begin 
at  once  doing  personal  work.  When  someone  stands 
up  or  comes  forward  confessing  Jesus,  they  are  in  close 
enough  touch  to  reach  him  and  give  him  a  handshake 
and  a  hearty,  "God  bless  you!'*  furnish  him  with  a 
card,  obtain  his  name  and  address  and  perhaps  his 
church  preference. 

Thus  organized,  the  meeting  will  always  move  with 
smoothness  from  start  to  finish.  Meanwhile,  the  list 
of  names  of  the  unsaved  and  lukewarm  is  being 
looked  after  by  the  chairman  of  the  cottage  committee 
and  these  cottage  workers,  who  obtained  them,  are  of 
course  expected  to  see  to  it  that  those  obtained  by 
them  come  to  church  and  are  reached  if  possible. 

OBJECTIONS   ANSWERED 

Now,  in  this  connection,  it  seems  to  me  to  be  proper 
to  give  the  workers  a  list  of  objections  that  they  will 
most  assuredly  have  to  meet  in  doing  their  personal 
work.  The  following  arrangement,  which  I  invariably 
use  in  meetings,  will  be  found  very  helpful. 

I.  Not  such  a  sinner. 

Rom.  3 :  23 — "For  all  have  sinned,  and  come  short  of 
the  glory  of  God." 

I  John  1:8 — "If  we  say  that  we  have  no  sin,  we 
deceive  ourselves,  and  the  truth  is  not  in  us." 

John  3:  18 — "He  that  believeth  on  Him  is  not  con- 
demned: but  he  that  believeth  not  is  condemned 
already,  because  he  hath  not  believed  in  the  name  of 
the  only  begotten  Son  of  God.'* 


ORGANIZING   FOR   REVIVAL   WORK      63 

2.  Not  good  enough. 

Mark  2:  17 — "When  Jesus  heard  it,  He  saith  unto 
them,  They  that  are  whole  have  no  need  of  the  phy- 
sician, but  they  that  are  sick :  I  came  not  to  call  the 
righteous,  but  sinners,  to  repentance." 

3.  Got  too  much  to  give  up. 

Matt.  16:25-28 — "For  whosoever  will  save  his  life 
shall  lose  it:  and  whosoever  will  lose  his  life  for  my 
sake  shall  find  it." 

^.   Inconsistency  of  others. 

Luke  13:  3 — "I  tell  you,  Nay:  but,  except  ye  repent, 
ye  shall  all  likewise  perish. ' ' 

Rom.  14:  12 — "So  then  everyone  of  us  shall  give 
account  of  himself  to  God." 

5.  Can't  hold  out. 

"For  I  am  persuaded,  that  neither  death,  nor  life, 
nor  angels,  nor  principalities,  nor  powers,  nor  things 
present,  nor  things  to  come,  nor  height,  nor  depth,  nor 
any  other  creature,  shall  be  able  to  separate  us  from 
the  love  of  God,  which  is  in  Christ  Jesus  our  Lord." 

6.  Afraid  He  won't  save  me. 

Rev.  22:17 — "And  the  Spirit  and  the  bride  say. 
Come.  And  let  him  that  heareth  say,  Come.  And 
let  him  that  is  athirst  come.  And  whosoever  will,  let 
him  take  the  water  of  life  freely." 

7.  Time  enough  yet. 

Prov.  27:  I — "Boast  not  thyself  of  to-morrow;  for 
thou  knowest  not  what  a  day  may  bring  forth." 

CLOSING   UP   THE    MEETING 

In  closing  up  the  meeting  there  is  nothing  that  I 
know  of  that  will  be  so  helpful  to  Christian  workers, 
and,  indeed,  to  all  concerned,  as  a  sort  of  spiritual  love- 


64      ORGANIZING   FOR   REVIVAL  WORK 

feast,  a  meeting  of  testimony.  The  workers  who  have 
been  blessed  in  the  meeting  will  readily  respond,  and 
many  who  have  been  saved  will  be  glad  to  testify,  and 
the  church  or  group  of  churches  conducting  the  work 
will  find  themselves  greatly  uplifted  and  all  ready  to 
settle  down  to  the  business  of  training  and  developing 
themselves  into  still  further  usefulness. 

SINGING 

I  have  said  nothing  about  the  music.  This  is  no 
small  part  of  a  revival.  There  is  nothing  that  equals 
spiritual,  devotional  singing.  I  would  always  have  if 
possible  a  chorus  choir,  and  secure  the  very  best  leader 
possible.  If  I  could  not  get  a  good  soloist  and  congre- 
gational leader  combined,  I  would  do  without  the  solo, 
although  where  this  combination  can  be  found  a  good 
devotional  solo  now  and  then  will  be  found  very,  very 
helpful.  There  should  always  be  plenty  of  song-books 
or  card-slips,  which  can  easily  be  prepared  for  the 
occasion,  and  everybody  should  be  urged  to  take  part 
in  the  singing. 

SACRED   LITERATURE 

I  have  also  found  that  it  works  well  in  a  meeting  of 
this  character  for  the  church  or  churches  engaging  in 
the  work  to  provide  a  good  selection  of  sacred  liter- 
ature. Such  books  as  are  furnished  by  the  Colportage 
Library  Association  will  be  found  exceedingly  helpful, 
not  only  to  the  meeting  while  it  is  in  progress,  but  to 
the  good  of  the  work  when  the  meeting  is  over. 
These  books  are  very  cheap,  and  people  can  easily  be 


ORGANIZING    FOR   REVIVAL  WORK      65 

induced  to  buy  them.  Let  them  be  sold  practically  at 
cost,  or  make  the  usual  profit  and  let  the  money  go  to 
some  definite  work  of  charity  in  the  community,  or  to 
the  general  expenses  of  the  revival  movement.  It  is 
not  the  money  that  we  are  trying  to  make,  it  is  the 
good  we  want  to  establish  in  a  permanent  way  by 
sacred  literature. 


THE  SUNDAY-SCHOOL  TEACHER  AS 
A  SOUL-WINNER 

MARION    LAWRANCE 

I  am  very  sure,  dear  friends,  that  with  me  you  have 
been  singing  the  doxology  in  your  hearts  as  we  have 
been  listening  to  these  wonderful  testimonies  of  Mr. 
Hadley  and  Mr.  Monroe  and  Mr.  Reed,  and  I  have  a 
fear  that  what  I  shall  say  may  sound  somewhat  tame 
after  these  words  to-night;  but  it  is  just  for  the  pur- 
pose of  making  that  sort  of  testimony  less  frequent 
that  we  are  so  interested  in  the  Sunday  School. 

The  government  has  two  ways  of  saving  life  on  the 
ocean.  It  takes  a  number  of  men  and  plants  them 
in  this  place  and  says:  "You  are  to  conduct  a  live-sav- 
ing station."  They  have  all  the  apparatus  for  that 
sort  of  work,  but  they  must  wait  imtil  the  ships  are  on 
the  rocks,  until  the  men  are  struggling  in  the  water  for 
their  lives  before  they  can  send  men  out  to  save  them. 
Then  the  government  has  another  way — the  light- 
house. It  plants  this  house  and  says:  *'You  live  in 
this  house,  and  before  the  ships  get  onto  the  rocks 
you  warn  them  off,  and  show  them  from  the  place  of 
danger  into  a  place  of  safety."  The  rescue-mission 
work  that  these  dear  brothers  are  giving  their  lives  for 
is  the  life-saving  station,  but  the  Sunday  School  is  try- 
ing to  save  life  by  the  light-house  plan  rather  than  the 

66 


THE   TEACHER   AS   A  SOUL-WINNER    67 

life-boat  plan.     We  are  trying  to  keep  these  boys  and 
girls  off  the  rocks, 

I  was  in  Pacific  Garden  Mission  not  long  ago,  and 
saw  a  blear-eyed,  drunken  man  come  staggering  in, 
and  I  knew  that  that  man  had  once  been  an  innocent 
little  boy ;  in  the  Jerry  McAuley  Mission,  where  I  spent 
an  evening  a  while  ago,  I  saw  a  woman  in  the  same 
condition.  I  knew  she  had  once  been  an  innocent 
little  girl.  Our  work  is  for  the  boys  and  girls,  and 
your  hearts  are  all  interested  in  these.  I  was  sitting 
one  day  with  Mr.  Wannamaker,  and  he  said:  "We  have 
the  best  end  of  it.  When  you  save  a  man  or  a  woman, 
you  save  a  unit;  but  when  you  save  a  boy  or  a  girl  you 
save  a  whole  multiplication  table. "  It  is  a  great  thing 
to  save  a  soul  at  any  age,  but  it  is  the  greatest  thing  to 
save  a  soul  plus  a  life.  The  child  is  the  center  of  the 
world.  That  little  child  Jesus  put  in  the  midst  has 
been  in  the  midst  ever  since,  and  the  world  revolves 
around  it.  The  little  child  is  king  and  queen.  We 
are  glad  to  do  the  bidding  of  the  baby.  I  have  known 
of  people  walking  the  floor  all  night  because  the  baby 
wanted  it  that  way.  Some  time  ago  there  was  a  little 
child  lost  in  New  York  City  in  Central  Park,  and  the 
papers  were  full  of  it.  A  short  time  after  that  the  child 
was  found,  and  the  papers  came  out  in  great  headlines 
announcing  the  finding.  In  a  few  months  there  was  a 
great  battle,  the  battle  of  Santiago,  where  many  precious 
lives  were  lost,  and  the  papers  again  came  out  in  great 
headlines  announcing  that;  but  there  were  more 
newspapers  sold  in  New  York  because  they  announced 
the  finding  of  that  child  than  there  were  at  the  time 
of  the  battle  of  Santiago.  Everyone  is  not  interested 
m  war,  but   everyone  is  interested   in  a  little   child. 


6S     THE   TEACHER   AS   A   SOUL-WINNER 

There  are  25,000,000  in  the  Sunday  School  army,  and 
it  is  a  wonderful  power.  Out  of  all  the  people  that 
join  our  churches  by  conversion,  S^  percent  come  out 
of  the  Sunday  School.  Dr.  John  Watson  was  being 
dined  in  this  country  once,  and  was  asked:  **What  is 
it,  in  your  judgment  as  a  foreigner,  that  does  most  to 
make  America  great  among  the  nations  of  the  earth?" 
He  said:  *'It  is  the  Sunday  School." 

I  am  to  talk  to  you  about  the  teacher.  I  know  you 
are  all  either  teachers  or  interested  in  Sunday  School 
work.  I  want  to  talk  practically  along  the  line  of  the 
teacher's  work.  The  office  of  teacher  is  a  divine 
office.  Jesus  chose  to  be  a  teacher  because  He  thought 
it  the  most  important  business  in  the  world.  His  last 
command,  in  Mark  16:  15,  was  a  command  to  you  and 
to  me  to  go  and  teach,  and  that  command  is  on  every 
man  and  woman,  everyone  that  has  the  ability  to 
teach  and  the  opportunity  to  teach.  I  believe,  as  a 
superintendent,  that  the  teacher  is  the  most  important 
factor  in  any  Sunday  School.  The  teachers  really  do 
the  work  for  which  the  Sunday  School  is  held.  1 
know  of  no  place  on  the  footstool  so  fraught  with 
opportunity  and  responsibility  as  to  stand  with  the 
open  Bible  before  a  class  of  children  and  try  to  bring 
them  to  the  Savior.  Dan.  12:3  reads:  *'And  they 
that  be  wise  shall  shine  as  the  brightness  of  the  firma- 
ment ;  and  they  that  turn  many  to  righteousness  as  the 
stars  forever  and  ever.  * '  If  you  will  take  a  reference 
Bible,  you  will  see  that  the  word  translated  *'wise" 
may  with  equal  correctness  be  translated  *'teachers. " 
In  Prov.  11:  30  we  read:  "The  fruit  of  the  righteous 
is  a  tree  of  life ;  and  he  that  winneth  souls  is  wise. ' ' 
Knowledge  is  how  much  we  know,  wisdom  is  the  use 


THE   TEACHER  AS   A   SOUL-WINNER    69 

we  make  of  it.  The  purpose  of  all  teaching  is  pri- 
marily instruction ;  in  Christian  work  it  is  primarily  for 
edification  and  salvation. 

I  want  to  speak  very  briefly  of  the  use  of  the  Bible. 
This  is  a  very  much  neglected  part  of  our  work.  We 
try  to  teach  too  much  without  the  Word  of  God.  The 
Word  of  God  has  its  mission  and  place,  and  should  be 
used.  Ps.  119:130  reads:  "The  entrance  of  thy 
words  giveth  light.  * '  God  wants  the  darkness  of  the 
world  driven  away,  and  there  is  only  one  way  to  get 
darkness  out,  and  that  is  the  very  way  the  janitor 
drove  the  darkness  out  of  this  room  to-night — by  put- 
ting in  the  light — and  this  is  the  only  way  to  drive  sin 
out  of  the  world.  The  Word  of  God  is  the  light.  Ps. 
119:  105,  **Thy  word  is  a  lamp  unto  my  feet  and  a  light 
unto  my  path."  When  God  wants  anything  done,  He 
has  an  agency  to  do  it.  Isa.  53 :  lo-ii :  "For  as  the  rain 
Cometh  down,  and  the  snow  from  heaven,  and  return- 
eth  not  thither,  but  watereth  the  earth,  and  maketh  it 
bring  forth  and  bud,  that  it  may  give  seed  to  the 
sower  and  bread  to  the  eater;  so  shall  my  word  be 
that  goeth  forth  out  of  my  mouth ;  it  shall  not  return 
unto  me  void,  but  it  shall  accomplish  that  which  I 
please,  and  it  shall  prosper  in  the  thing  whereto  I 
sent  it."  If  God  wants  the  earth  watered  He  has  a 
way.  If  He  wants  the  earth  saved  He  has  a  way. 
Take  the  Bible  into  your  Sunday  School  work,  into 
the  teaching  of  your  lesson. 

Let  us  look  a  little  further  at  the  teacher's  work, 
and  what  kind  of  work  we  do  as  teachers.  We  need 
the  teacher ;  the  teacher  must  be  a  living  teacher ;  we 
want  the  living  teacher.  That  was  what  God  meant 
when  He  took  Philip  away  from  the  promising  work  in 


^o    THE   TEACHER   AS   A   SOUL-WINNER 

Samaria  and  led  him  away  down  that  desert  road  and 
pointed  out  to  him  the  eunuch.  The  eunuch  was 
reading  the  Word,  but  he  needed  the  touch  of  the  liv- 
ing heart.  We  need  the  teacher,  and  so  we  must  have 
some  qualifications  and  some  helps  for  our  teachers. 
First  of  all,  I  would  like  to  name  some  of  these.  We 
must  prepare.  It  is  not  a  general  preparation  that  is 
needed,  but  specific  study.  Prepare  early.  If  you 
begin  in  the  early  part  of  the  week  to  prepare  your 
lesson  for  the  coming  Sunday,  then  all  through  the 
week  you  are  looking  at  everything  through  your 
Sunday  School  spectacles.  The  very  best  illustrations 
are  those  that  come  from  your  own  observation  and 
reading  and  intercourse  with  your  friends.  I  heard 
one  the  other  day  that  I  thought  was  real  good.  It 
was  not  intended  as  an  illustration,  but  I  used  it.  One 
time  a  young  lady  was  presented  with  a  book  by  an 
older  lady  friend.  The  young  lady  took  the  book 
home  and  tried  to  read  it,  but  found  it  so  dry  she  gave 
it  up.  She  said  to  herself:  "I  wonder  why  my  friend 
gave  me  such  a  dry  book.  * '  The  next  day  she  saw 
this  friend,  and  was  so  afraid  that  she  would  ask  her 
if  she  had  read  the  book  that  she  was  very  uncomfort- 
able while  in  her  presence,  and  made  up  her  mind  she 
would  go  home  and  read  that  book  even  if  it  was  dry. 
So  she  tried  again,  and  again  she  was  compelled  to 
give  it  up.  Three  times  she  tried,  and  then  laid  the 
book  away.  Some  time  after  she  met  a  young  man  in 
whom  she  became  very  much  interested.  He  became 
interested  in  her,  too,  and  in  due  time  they  became 
engaged.  Shortly  after  this  she  happened  to  pick  up 
this  book  and  noticed  that  the  name  of  the  author 
was  the  same  as  that  of  her  lover.     The  next  time  he 


THE   TEACHER   AS   A   SOUL-WINNER     71 

came  to  see  her  she  said:  "I  have  a  book  here  which 
has  your  name  in  it,  initials  and  all. ' '  He  blushingly 
acknowledged  himself  to  be  the  author.  That  night 
she  sat  up  all  night  to  read  it,  and  wondered  why  she 
had  ever  seen  a  dry  line  in  it.  What  was  the  differ- 
ence? W/iy^  she  was  in  love  with  the  author.  It  is  the 
save  way  with  the  Bible.  Who  loves  God's  book  and 
who  does  not?  When  do  we  love  God's  book  and  when 
do  we  not? 

Prepare  more  than  you  expect  to  teach.  You  can- 
not teach  all  you  know  and  teach  with  power.  Another 
thought :  Prepare  from  the  Bible.  I  think  the  Bible  is 
the  best  commentary  in  the  whole  world.  I  have  seen 
some  commentaries  of  late-day  manufacture  upon 
which  I  think  the  Bible  would  throw  a  great  deal  of 
light.  We  want  more  of  the  Scripture  in  our  Sunday 
School  teaching. 

I  believe  in  lesson  helps,  but  I  do  not  believe  they 
ought  to  take  the  place  of  original  Bible  study.  At 
the  world's  Sunday  School  Convention  in  London  I 
heard  Rev.  Richard  Glover  give  three  rules  for  the  use 
of  helps:  (i)  Use  lesson  helps,  but  don't  depend  solely 
on  lesson  helps;  (2)  use  them  with  the  Bible,  and  not 
apart  from  the  Bible;  (3)  those  lesson  helps  are  the 
best  helps  which  set  you  thinking  and  not  save  you 
thinking. 

We  need  to  study  methods  of  presenting  the  lessons, 
and  we  need  to  study  the  scholars.  I  am  so  glad  of 
this  convention !  It  pays  to  stop  and  get  the  tools  in 
order.  This  illustration  was  once  given  me :  A  man 
was  shoveling  sticky  clay.  Beside  him  he  had  a  pail 
of  water.  He  would  dip  his  shovel  into  the  water,  and 
then  into  the  clay,  then  go  back  and  dip  it  into  the 


72     THE   TEACHER   AS   A   SOUL-WINNER 

water,  and  then  into  the  clay,  and  it  took  him  just  as 
long  to  keep  his  shovel  in  condition  to  do  the  work  as 
it  did  to  do  the  work.  But  did  the  man  who  hired  him 
complain?  No,  indeed!  for  if  he  had  not  taken  the 
time  to  keep  his  shovel  in  the  proper  condition,  it 
would  soon  have  been  so  covered  with  the  clay  as  to  be 
useless  for  the  work  which  he  was  hired  to  perform. 
It  is  always  best  to  take  time  to  keep  the  tools  in  order ; 
so  we  need  to  study  methods  and  principles  of  teaching. 

The  essential  conditions  of  a  good  teacher  are  regu- 
larity of  attendance,  punctuality,  cheerfulness.  There 
is  mighty  little  religion  in  a  whine.  We  need  more  of 
the  gospel  of  a  shining  face  and  an  open  hand.  Mr. 
Reynolds  once  told  me  of  a  man  in  his  Sunday  School 
who  did  not  have  the  ability  to  teach,  but  he  used  to 
stand  in  the  door  and  shake  hands  with  every  one  who 
went  in  or  out,  and  Mr.  Reynolds  said  that  man 
shook  more  boys  and  girls  into  the  kingdom  of  heaven 
than  any  of  his  teachers  taught  in.  There  is  power  in 
a  smile.  A  little  boy  once  said:  ** Please,  Mister 
Superintendent,  let  me  go  over  to  that  class  where  the 
teacher  smiles  so  much." 

In  the  twenty-second  verse  of  the  ninth  chapter  of  i 
Corinthians,  Paul  said:  *'I  am  made  all  things  to  all 
men,  that  I  might  by  all  means  save  some."  The 
successful  teacher  adapts  himself  to  the  situation. 
That  is  tact.  This  business  takes  tact.  It  does  not 
do  to  ask  a  man  if  he  is  saved  when  he  is  running  to 
make  a  train.  You  must  know  the  persons  in  your 
class,  and  adapt  yourself  to  the  disposition  and  need  of 
each. 

A  teacher,  to  be  a  success,  must  have  beyond  his 
teaching  the  spiritual  life.  For,  after  all,  it  is  what  the 


THE   TEACHER  AS   A   SOUL-WINNER     73 

teacher  is  that  really  tells.  Emerson  said:  "How  can 
I  hear  the  words  you  say,  when  what  you  are  is  thun- 
dering in  my  ears. "  One  boy  said  to  another:  "I  don't 
take  any  stock  in  my  teacher  any  more."  "Why?" 
said  the  other.  "Because  when  you  add  him  up  there 
is  nothing  to  carry."  Teachers,  you  are  more  than 
instructors.  You  want  to  be  what  you  seek  to  have 
your  scholar  become,  and  a  good  lesson  is  absolutely 
spoiled  by  a  bad  life.  The  Gospel  gets  into  a  man's 
heart  not  so  much  by  words  as  by  wedges.  A  man 
told  this  story  of  his  conversion.  He  said:  "I  was  a 
gambler,  and  I  went  into  Pacific  Garden  Mission  one 
night  and  heard  a  man  testify  who  said:  'Jesus  Christ 
saved  me,  and  I  was  a  gambler. '  The  next  night  I 
went  again,  the  same  man  got  up  and  said:  'Jesus 
Christ  saved  me,  and  I  was  a  gambler.'  I  listened  to 
that  testimony  for  six  straight  weeks,  forty-two  nights 
in  succession,  and  I  made  up  my  mind  if  that  story  was 
true  for  six  weeks  it  was  true  for  me,  and  I  was  saved. ' ' 
It  is  what  we  are  that  tells  the  story. 

Look  for  results.  Would  it  be  a  surprise  to  you  if  a 
dozen  of  your  scholars  should  come  to  you  and  say: 
"What  shall  I  do  to  be  saved?"  One  of  Mr.  Spur- 
geon's  students  went  to  him  and  said:  "I  am  discour- 
aged, I  don't  see  any  results  from  my  work."  Mr. 
Spurgeon  said:  "You  don't  expect  to  see  results  com- 
ing along  all  the  time,  do  you?"  "Why,  certainly 
not."     "Well,  that  is  the  reason  you  don't  have  them." 

But  do  not  be  discouraged  if  you  do  not  see  results. 
Some  will  say:  "I  have  taught  and  I  have  not  seen  my 
girls  saved. "  It  does  not  say,  "Be  thou  successful," 
but,  "Be  thou  faithful."  Some  folks  seem  to  be  such 
good  seed-sowers  that  God  lets  them  do  the  sowing  and 


74    THE   TEACHER   AS   A   SOUL-WINNER 

someone  else  do  the  reaping.  A  dear  Christian  man 
who  had  been  teaching  a  class  of  boys  for  some  time 
was  about  to  go  out  into  the  next  world.  He  called  his 
wife  to  him,  and  spoke  of  his  boys,  and  said:  "Oh,  not 
one  of  my  boys  has  been  saved!"  She  comforted  him 
by  telling  him  that  he  had  been  faithful.  When  that 
man's  body  was  laying  in  the  casket  those  boys  came 
and  dropped  bitter  tears  upon  it,  and  shortly  after 
every  one  of  them  gave  his  heart  to  Christ. 

The  Christian  world  had  prayed  and  prayed  for  a 
single  woman  to  go  away  to  the  cannibal  islands  to  be 
a  missionary.  Finally  Harriet  Newell  volunteered  to 
go.  Much  money  was  spent  on  her  training.  They 
had  a  great  jubilee  meeting  in  New  York  City  when 
she  started.  There  was  great  rejoicing.  But  before 
the  ship  landed  on  those  islands  she  died.  The  letter 
that  came  back  with  the  sad  news  brought  sorrow  and 
disappointment  to  the  Christian  world.  But  that  letter 
had  not  been  on  American  soil  three  months  when  fifty 
young  women  were  ready  to  go.  Harriet  Newell' s  was 
a  magnificent  success,  though  she  never  did  one 
moment's  work  in  her  chosen  field.    Fidelity  is  success. 

Do  personal  work  if  you  want  to  be  successful.  I 
have  had  teachers  come  to  me  and  say:  "I  have  only 
one  scholar  in  my  class  to-day;  don't  you  think  I  had 
better  let  him  go  in  some  other  class,  and  I  will  go 
home?"  On  nineteen  different  occasions  Jesus  sat 
down  and  taught  one  scholar.  Our  scholars  are  not 
won  by  classes,  but  one  by  one.  It  is  hand-picked 
fruit  we  want.  Andrew  is  only  mentioned  separately 
three  times  in  the  Bible,  but  one  time  it  is  said  he 
brought  in  his  brother  Peter,  and  do  you  know,  it 
seems  to  me  that  Andrew  will  get  a  whole  lot  of  stars 


THE    TEACHER   AS   A   SOUL-WINNER     75 

In  his  crown  for  the  three  thousand  souls  Peter  won 
on  the  day  of  Pentecost.  One  time  in  Toledo  there 
came  a  knock  at  my  door,  just  as  we  were  sitting  down 
to  breakfast.  I  opened  the  door,  and  there  stood  a 
young  man  seventeen  years  of  age.  He  said:  "You  did 
not  feel  very  much  encouraged  over  the  work  in  Sunday 
School  yesterday.  I  want  to  tell  you  that  it  was  your 
words  that  led  me  to  Christ."  That  boy  is  Tracy 
McGregor,  now  superintendent  of  the  McGregor  Help- 
ing Hand  Mission  in  Detroit.  I  believe  it  was  the 
best  day's  work  I  ever  did,  and  I  don't  know  when  I 
spoke  the  word. 

Love  is  the  hammer  that  breaks  the  heart.  Our 
scholars  are  drawn  by  the  power  of  love.  Love  will 
do  what  nothing  else  will  do.  These  boys  and  girls 
^vant  to  know  right  away  that  we  love  them  and  are 
interested  in  them.  My  daughter  teaches  a  class  of 
little  girls.  One  morning  there  was  a  knock  at  the 
door,  and  when  Louise  went  to  the  door  there  stood 
one  of  the  little  girls  in  her  class  crying  most  piteously. 
When  Louise  put  her  arms  around  her  and  asked  her 
what  the  trouble  was,  she  said:  "My  little  baby  brother 
died  last  night,  and  I  wanted  to  tell  you  and  have  you 
cry  with  me. ' '  That  scholar  knew  the  teacher  loved 
her.     Love  is  the  hammer  that  breaks  the  stony  heart. 


DECISION-DAY  IN  THE  SUNDAY 
SCHOOL 

A  mistake  which  many  Sunday  School  teachers  make 
IS  that  of  trying  to  develop  the  fruit  of  the  Spirit  from 
an  unregenerate  life.  They  teach  their  scholars  to 
love  one  another,  to  be  joyful,  patient,  and  unselfish, 
before  they  have  been  converted.  They  might  as  well 
hang  oranges  on  a  Christmas  tree  and  expect  it  to 
bear  that  kind  of  fruit.  The  fact  is,  one  cannot  evolve 
the  fruit  of  the  Spirit  from  a  life  in  which  there  is  no 
Holy  Spirit. 

I  have  a  friend  who  has  fifty  green -houses  and  about 
five  acres  under  glass.  A  large  part  of  his  business  is 
the  culture  of  roses.  He  imports  the  wild  rose  stock 
from  Ireland  and  France,  and  buds  or  grafts  it  with 
scions  from  the  choice  roses  which  he  wishes  to  pro- 
duce. It  requires  two  men  several  months  to  do  the 
budding.  Now  this  florist  is  not  foolish  enough  to  put 
the  wild  stock  into  the  green-houses  and  spend  thou- 
sands of  dollars  in  cultivating  it.  If  he  did,  the  result 
would  be  only  wild  Irish  roses  which  would  not  sell 
for  ten  cents  a  thousand.  On  the  contrary,  the  first 
thing  he  does  is  to  insert  a  new  life  in  the  wild  stock. 
Then  he  puts  it  in  the  green-house  and  applies  all  the 
methods  known  to  modern  science;  and  the  result  is 
those  elegant  Marechal  Niel  and  General  Jacque  roses 
which  sell  for  several  dollars  a  hundred. 

76 


DECISION-DAY  IN  THE  SUNDAY  SCHOOL  77 

Many  a  teacher  is  trying  to  evolve  the  fruit  of  the 
Spirit  from  a  life  in  which  there  is  no  Holy  Spirit, 
because  the  scholar  has  never  either  consciously  or 
unconsciously  accepted  Christ  as  his  Savior.  The 
first  thing  to  aim  at  is  conversion  and,  after  that,  what 
might  be  called  Christian  culture  may  properly  follow. 

The  attention  of  the  writer  was  called  to  the  value 
of  Decision  Day  in  the  foUowingVay :  He  was  spend- 
ing a  Sunday  in  a  Presbyterian  church,  and  was  asked 
to  address  the  Sunday  School.  He  suggested  to  the 
pastor  that  as  it  was  the  last  Sunday  in  the  year  it 
might  be  well  to  explain  to  the  boys  and  girls  just  how 
to  become  a  Christian,  with  the  idea  of  leading  them  to 
begin  the  new  year  with  a  new  life.  The  result  was 
that  twenty-five  or  thirty  accepted  Christ  as  their 
Savior.  Apparently  they  were  just  waiting  for  an 
opportunity. 

The  next  Sunday  he  was  in  another  city,  in  a  Bap- 
tist church.  When  asked  to  speak  to  the  school  he 
told  the  superintendent  what  occurred  the  Sunday 
before,  and  was  urged  to  use  the  same  method.  He 
did  so,  and  quite  a  number  of  conversions  followed. 
So  much  interest  was  awakened  that  they  wished  to 
continue  the  services  through  the  week.  The  next 
Sunday  he  was  in  a  Congregational  church,  and  had  a 
similar  experience.  In  this  place  the  officers  of  the 
school  were  so  surprised  at  the  results  that  they  tried 
the  plan  themselves  the  following  Sunday,  and  had 
several  more  conversions.  They  then  planned  for  a 
series  of  meetings  in  which  some  of  the  worst  men  in 
town  were  converted,  and  out  of  which  grew  a  Men's 
Band  and  a  Gospel  Mission. 

The  experience  of  these  three  Sundays  in  churches 


78  DECISION-DAY  IN  THE  SUNDAY  SCHOOL 

of  different  denominations,  in  both  city  and  country 
schools,  led  me  to  realize  the  importance  of  giving 
young  people  a  definite  opportunity  to  accept  Christ. 
I  said  to  myself,  doubtless  there  are  thousands  of 
schools  in  the  land  which  are  in  precisely  the  same 
condition  that  these  were.  They  have  had  faithful 
preaching  and  teaching,  but  for  some  reason  there  has 
been  no  effort  to  gather  in  the  harvest  which  years  of 
seed-sowing  should  have  produced.  Since  then  I  have 
seen  the  same  method  employed  in  scores  of  schools, 
and  I  can  hardly  recall  an  instance  in  which  conver- 
sions have  not  occurred. 

Mr.  Moody  often  said  that  what  led  him  to  give  up 
business  and  devote  all  his  time  to  Christian  work  was 
an  experience  which  he  had  with  one  of  his  Sunday- 
school  teachers.  This  teacher  was  taken  seriously  ill 
and  was  obliged  to  leave  the  city.  He  came  to  see  Mr. 
Moody  and  expressed  great  sorrow  at  leaving  his 
class  of  young  women,  since  none  of  them  were  Chris- 
tians. Mr.  Moody  proposed  to  him  to  take  a  carriage 
and  go  and  visit  each  of  them  and  tell  them  just  how 
he  felt.  He  did  so,  and  the  result  was  that  every  one 
of  those  young  ladies  gave  her  heart  to  God.  Mr. 
Moody,  who  went  with  him,  was  so  impressed  with  the 
possibilities  of  definite  hand-to-hand  work  in  winning 
souls  that  he  resolved  to  devote  his  whole  time  to  it. 

In  the  State  of  Iowa,  the  fourth  day  of  February, 
X900,  was  observed  as  Decision  Day.  The  reports 
were  very  incomplete,  but  the  172  schools  which  sent 
in  returns  reported  3,476  conversions,  including  three 
Sunday  School  teachers.  This  was  an  average  of  over 
twenty  for  each  school.  In  their  report  they  said 
nothing  has  ever  so  stirred  the  teachers  and  revealed 


DECISION-DAY  IN  THE  SUNDAY  SCHOOL  79 

to  them  the  possibility  of  winning  souls.  In  Phila- 
delphia not  long-  ago  about  three  hundred  schools 
observed  the  day,  with  the  result  that  about  five  thou- 
sand young  people  decided  for  Christ.  Over  two  hun- 
dred entered  the  new  life  in  one  school  alone.  In 
another  city  I  know  of  a  class  in  which  fifty-five  young 
ladies  accepted  Christ  on  a  single  day  as  the  result  of 
an  earnest  plea  by  one  who  taught  the  class  for  that 
day  only. 

METHOD 

1.  Announce  to  the  school  some  weeks  in  advance 
that  a  Decision  Sunday  will  soon  be  observed,  not  stat- 
ing, however,  which  Sunday  it  will  be.  This  will  set 
the  scholars  thinking  and,  very  likely,  will  lead  to 
decisions  before  the  day  arrives.  It  will  also  increase 
the  prayerfulness  of  parents  and  teachers  and  those 
scholars  who  are  Christians  already. 

2.  On  the  evening  before,  let  all  the  teachers  be  called 
together  for  special  prayer  and  conference.  Let  the 
pastor  explain  precisely  what  is  involved  in  becoming 
a  Christian  and  just  what  steps  to  pursue  in  leading  a 
soul  to  Christ.  Many  a  teacher  has  no  idea  how  to  go 
about  it.  Let  each  teacher  have  a  list  of  all  the  uncon- 
verted members  of  his  class,  and  let  each  one  be 
prayed  for  by  name,  taking  one  class  after  another. 
Then  let  all  unite  in  earnest  prayer  for  a  special 
anointing  of  the  Spirit  to  fit  them-  for  the  work  of  the 
coming  day,  and  let  no  one  leave  the  place  until 
assured  of  it.     (i  John  5:  14,  15.) 

3.  When  the  day  arrives  let  the  pastor  preach  a  ser- 
mon which  will  prepare  the  way  for  the  service  which 
is  to  follow.     When  the  school  is  in  session  let  the 


8o  DECISION-DAY  IN  THE  SUNDAY  SCHOOL 

attendance  be  marked,  and  the  offering  taken  at  the 
very  outset,  so  as  to  have  nothing  to  distract  attention 
from  the  main  object.  It  would  be  better  to  dispense 
with  library  books  altogether  for  that  Sunday.  Let 
the  superintendent  announce  that  the  lesson  study  will 
be  omitted  for  to-day,  as  there  is  more  important  busi- 
ness, and  then  state  what  the  object  of  the  meeting  is, 
and  in  a  tender,  loving  way  show  how  anxious  he  is 
that  every  unsaved  member  of  the  school  should  decide 
for  Christ  that  very  hour. 

Select  hymns  which  are  personal  and  persuasive, 
such  as,  "There  is  a  Green  Hill  Far  Away,"  *' Almost 
Persuaded,"  *'Just  as  I  Am,"  etc.  Arrange  for  sev- 
eral prayers  by  the  most  spiritual  teachers.  Then  let 
an  address  be  given  by  the  pastor  or  whoever  seems 
best  qualified  to  do  it.  In  this  address  I  would  espe- 
cially emphasize  three  things.  First,  the  fact  that  all 
have  sinned  against  God ;  second,  the  suffering  which 
Christ  endured  for  our  sins,  and  our  debt  of  gratitude 
to  Him;  third,  explain  very  clearly  just  what  one 
needs  to  do  in  order  to  become  a  Christian. 

For  the  sake  of  those  who  have  had  no  experience  in 
such  a  service  we  give  an  outline  sketch  of  one  which 
has  been  found  useful. 

Suppose  you  ask  the  scholars  how  many  of  them 
have  ever  seen  a  flock  of  sheep.  Then  remind  them 
that  although  sheep  are  very  tame  and  docile,  they  are 
also  quite  stubborn  and  willful ;  they  like  their  own 
way.  Furthermore,  they  are  great  imitators.  If  one 
of  the  flock  jumps  over  the  wall,  all  the  rest  will  go 
tumbling  after  it,  and  you  cannot  stop  them.  You 
may  catch  them  by  the  head  or  the  heels,  but  they  will 
go,  and  you  will  go  too,  unless  you  let  go. 


DECISION-DAY  IN  THE  SUNDAY  SCHOOL  8i 

Now,  God  says  that  we  are  very  much  like  sheep — we 
are  determined  to  have  our  own  way.  In  Isaiah  53:6 
He  says:  *'A11  we  like  sheep  have  gone  astray";  and 
in  the  next  sentence  He  explains  what  He  means  by 
going  astray:  "We  have  turned  everyone  to  his  own 
way."  That  is  the  real  essence  of  sin,  that  the  sinner 
is  determined  to  have  his  own  way.  It  may  not  be  a 
dishonest  way,  or  an  immoral  way,  or  an  untruthful 
way.  It  may  not  be  nearly  so  bad  as  someone's  else 
way,  but  it  is  his  way,  and  not  God's  way. 

What  do  we  say  of  a  sheep  that  has  gone  astray? 
Why,  we  say  it  is  lost.  Yes,  and  that  is  what  God  says 
about  those  who  have  had  their  own  way  and  refused 
to  walk  in  His  way.  They  are  lost,  and  that  applies 
to  all  of  us,  doesn't  it — for  we  have  all  had  our  own 
way.  Adam  was  a  kind  of  black  sheep  who  jumped 
over  the  wall,  and  the  whole  race  has  gone  tumbling 
after  him. 

However,  there  has  been  just  one  person  who  did 
not  have  His  own  way,  but  always  walked  in  God's 
way.  Who  can  tell  who  that  person  was?  Jesus. 
Yes,  Jesus,  the  Lamb  of  God. 

Suppose  you  had  a  flock  of  sheep  and  wished  to  drive 
them  in  a  certain  direction,  but  they  all  ran  off  another 
way,  except  one  good  lamb  who  stayed  by  your  side. 
You  would  not  take  a  whip  and  punish  that  innocent 
lamb  instead  of  those  which  ran  away.  And  yet,  do 
you  know  something  almost  like  that  has  occurred  in 
your  case  and  mine?  God  has  allowed  His  Son  Jesus, 
the  only  innocent  Lamb  in  the  whole  flock,  to  suffer  for 
the  sins  of  all  the  rest  of  us  who  went  astray,  *'A11 
we  like  sheep  have  gone  astray ;  we  have  turned  every 
one  to  his  own  way;    and  the  Lord  hath  laid  on  Him 


82  DECISION-DAY  IN  THE  SUNDAY  SCHOOL 

the  iniquity  of  us  all."  He  is  the  Lamb  of  God  who 
taketh  away  the  sin  of  the  world. 

Then  I  would  turn  to  the  twenty-seventh  chapter  of 
Matthew  and  show  what  Jesus  suffered  for  our  sins. 
I  would  paint  that  picture,  if  possible,  so  that  they 
would  remember  it  to  their  dying-  day.  Show  how  the 
soldiers  stripped  Him  and  put  on  a  scarlet  robe  as  if 
He  were  a  king.  One  of  them  said,  '*A  king  ought  to 
have  a  golden  scepter,"  and  another  ran  out  and 
brought  in  a  piece  of  reed  and  placed  it  in  His  hand. 
*'What  else  does  He  need?"  "A  crown,  of  course. 
Who  ever  heard  of  a  king  without  a  crown?"  ** Surely, 
I  will  get  one,"  said  another,  and  he  ran  out  and  broke 
off  a  piece  of  thorn  bush  and  twisted  it  up  in  the  form 
of  a  crown,  and  brought  it  in  and  placed  it  on  the  head 
of  Jesus.  Now,  the  king  has  a  royal  robe  and  a  crown 
and  a  golden  scepter,  and  they  began  to  mock  Him 
and  say:  '*Hail,  King  of  the  Jews!"  Then  some  of 
them  took  the  reed  out  of  His  hand  and  struck  Him  on 
the  head  with  it,  and  others  went  up  and  actually  spit 
in  His  face.  Think  of  it!  It  is  enough  to  make  one's 
blood  boil  with  indignation — the  way  they  treated  our 
dear  Lord ;  and  it  was  all  for  our  sins,  too. 

Then  show  how  they  stripped  off  the  royal  robe  and 
made  Him  carry  His  cross  up  Calvary's  hill;  how  He 
fainted  and  broke  down,  and  how  Simon  took  His 
place.  Then  describe  the  crucifixion  briefly,  avoiding 
all  that  is  ghastly  and  gruesome,  but  making  it  as 
vivid  and  realistic  as  possible,  in  order  that  each  one 
may  see  the  picture,  and  realize  clearly  the  relation  of 
Christ's  death  to  his  own  sins. 

Many  people,  both  old  and  young,  have  never  stood 
at  the  foot  of  the  cross  and  looked  up  into  the  face  of 


DECISION-DAY  IN  THE  SUNDAY  SCHOOL  83 

the  dear  Lord,  and  said  to  themselves:  "That  Man 
died  in  my  stead."  Make  them  stand  there — for  once 
in  their  life,  at  least — and  feel  the  full  force  of  that 
thought. 

A  friend  of  mine,  who  had  a  Working  Girl's  Club  in 
New  York,  was  showing  them  some  photographs  of 
famous  paintings.  Among  them  was  a  Crucifixion 
scene  by  Tintoretti.  At  the  right  of  the  picture  is  to 
be  seen  one  of  the  thieves  who  has  been  nailed  to  the 
cross,  and  the  cross  has  been  erected.  On  the  left  is 
the  other  thief.  The  soldiers  have  laid  him  on  the 
cross  and  have  driven  the  nails  through  his  feet.  The 
thief  is  resisting  with  all  his  might,  and  is  trying  to 
raise  himself  from  the  cross,  while  one  soldier  is  bru- 
tally crowding  down  his  arm,  and  another  is  trying  to 
drive  the  spike  through  his  hand.  In  the  center  of  the 
picture  you  see  the  Lord  Himself.  They  have  laid 
Him  down  upon  the  cross — no,  I  think  He  laid  Him- 
self down  and  suffered  them  to  drive  the  nails  through 
His  hands  and  feet.  The  thieves  doubtless  made  the 
air  hideous  with  groans  and  curses,  but  Jesus  did  not 
groan,  did  not  complain,  did  not  even  open  His  mouth. 
"He  is  led  as  a  lamb  to  the  slaughter,  and  as  a  sheep 
before  her  shearers  is  dumb,  so  He  opened  not  His 
mouth."  Then  the  soldiers  took  the  cross,  with  its 
precious  burden,  and  dropped  it  into  the  deep  hole  pre- 
pared for  it.  As  the  cross  went  down  it  brought  a 
strain  upon  the  hands  and  feet  which  produced  an 
agony  which  no  mortal  words  can  describe,  but  the 
artist  has  brought  it  all  out  in  the  expression  of  the 
countenance  and,  as  you  look  into  the  face  of  the  dear 
Lord :  you  see  what  unearthly  suffering  He  is  enduring 
for  the  sms  of  the  world. 


84  DECISION-DAY  IN  THE  SUNDAY  SCHOOL 

As  this  picture  came  into  the  hands  of  one  of  the 
girls  she  drew  back  with  an  expression  of  horror,  say- 
ing:  **Oh,    Mrs.   P ,   you  don't  mean  to  say  that 

Jesus  was  crucified  alive,  do  you?"  "Yes,  my  dear," 
said  the  teacher.  "Why,"  said  the  girl,  "I  never 
realized  that  before.  Oh,  it  is  awful!"  "Yes,  my 
dear,"  said  her  teacher,  "Jesus  suffered  all  that  and 
much  more,  for  your  sins  and  mine."  "Well,"  said 
the  girl,  "if  Jesus  suffered  all  that  for  me,  then  I  want 
to  live  for  Him,"  and  then  and  there  she  gave  her 
heart  to  the  Lord. 

Many  of  you  doubtless  feel  as  that  girl  did ;  you  are 
grateful  for  what  Christ  has  done  for  you,  and  you 
want  to  give  your  heart  to  Him,  but  you  do  not  know 
just  how  to  do  it.  Listen,  then,  and  I  will  try  to  make 
it  plain. 

Salvation  is  a  two-sided  thing.  On  God's  part  it  con- 
sists in  giving  something,  and  on  our  part  it  consists  in 
receiving  something,  but  the  thing  given  by  God  and 
received  by  us  is  not  a  thing  at  all,  but  a  person. 
"And  this  is  the  record  that  God  hath  given  to  us 
eternal  life,  and  that  life  is  in  His  Son:  He  that  hath 
the  Son  hath  life,  and  he  that  hath  not  the  Son  of  God 
hath  not  life"  (i  John  5:  11,  12). 

Then  show  how  simple  a  thing  it  is  to  receive  a  gift. 
Here  is  a  leaflet.  I  will  give  it  to  anyone  who  will 
accept  it.  Someone  takes  it  and  I  ask  him  whose  it  is 
now.  "It  is  mine."  "How  do  you  know  it  is  yours  ?" 
"Because  I  accepted  your  offer."  "That  is  right,  but 
why  does  it  not  belong  to  that  other  boy?  I  offered  it 
to  him  as  much  as  I  did  to  you."  "Yes,  but  he  did 
not  accept  your  offer  and  I  did."  "Very  true.  Now 
God  has  given  His  Son  to  be  the  Savior  of  all  sinners 


DECISION-DAY  IN  THE  SUNDAY  SCHOOL  85 

who  will  accept  Him.  Some  of  us  have  accepted  God's 
gift  and  we  have  a  Savior.  Some  of  us  have  not 
accepted  God's  gift  and  we  haven't  a  Savior,  and  we 
see  the  reason  why,  do  we  not?  It  is  simply  and 
solely  because  we  have  not  been  willing  to  accept 
God's  gift." 

*'How  long  did  it  take  that  boy  to  become  the  owner 
of  that  leaflet?" 

'*Not  a  quarter  of  a  minute. " 

"It  would  not  take  you  any  longer  to  accept  God's 
gift  and  obtain  a  Savior." 

Nor  is  it  a  question  of  feeling,  as  many  suppose. 
Turning  to  the  boy  who  accepted  the  leaflet  I  would 
say:  "Did  you  have  any  special  feeling  of  joy  when 
]^ou  took  that  leaflet?"  "No,  I  can't  say  that  I  did." 
"Have  you  had  any  particular  joy  since  you  became 
the  owner  of  it?"  "No,  I  do  not  even  know  what  it 
is,  for  I  have  not  read  it."  "But  suppose  you  should 
open  it  and  find  a  hundred-dollar  bill  in  it,  would  you 
have  any  feeling  then?"  "I  think  I  should."  "Quite 
likely,  but  would  that  tract  be  any  more  yours  with  all 
the  feeling  that  came  from  finding  a  hundred-dollar 
bill  in  it  than  it  is  now  without  any  feeling?"  "Not  at 
all." 

"You  see,  then,  that  the  question  of  feeling  has 
nothing  to  do  with  the  ownership.  It  was  the  accept- 
ance of  my  offer  which  made  it  yours.  So,  one  may 
accept  Christ  with  feeling  or  without  it,  as  the  case 
may  be.  God  does  not  say,  "As  many  as  felt  happy, 
or  as  many  as  felt  sinful  were  saved" ;  but,  "As  many 
as  received  Him,  to  them  gave  He  power  to  become  the 
sons  of  God. ' ' 

Perhaps  you  are  saying:  "Suppose  I  should  receive 


86  DECISION-DAY  IN  THE  SUNDAY  SCHOOL 

Christ  as  my  Savior  right  here  and  now,  what  would 
happen  to  me?"  In  the  first  place,  He  would  forgive 
your  sins,  for  He  says,  in  i  John  1:9,  "If  we  confess 
our  sins  He  is  faithful  and  just  to  forgive  us  our  sins." 
But  that  is  not  all  He  would  do.  He  would  also  come 
into  your  heart  and  take  possession  of  your  life,  for  He 
says,  in  Rev.  3:  20,  "Behold,  I  stand  at  the  door  and 
knock ;  if  any  man  hear  my  voice  and  open  the  door,  I 
will  come  into  him." 

You  see,  then,  that  if  any  of  you  should  invite 
Christ  to  come  into  your  heart  and  be  your  Savior, 
He  would  do  it,  because  He  says  He  will.  You  would 
not  go  home  alone  to-day,  you  would  not  sleep  alone 
to-night,  because  you  would  have  the  constant  com- 
pany of  the  Lord  Jesus.  "Lo,  I  am  with  you  alway, 
even  to  the  end  of  the  world." 

"But  how  can  we  know  that  Christ  is  in  our  hearts,  if 
we  accept  Him?  "Well,  in  the  first  place,  you  have 
His  word  for  it,  which  ought  to  be  sufficient,  but  in 
addition  to  that  He  promises  to  reveal  His  presence  to 
those  that  obey  Him.  In  John  14:  21  He  says:  *He 
that  hath  my  commandments  and  keepeth  them  .  .  . 
I  will  manifest  myself  to  him. '  In  other  words,  when 
you  pray  to  Him  He  will  seem  to  answer  back ;  when 
you  read  His  Word,  He  will  speak  to  you  out  of  it; 
and  every  time  you  make  any  real  sacrifice  for  Him, 
there  will  come  a  thrill  of  joy  into  your  heart,  and  His 
blessed,  'Well  done,  good  and  faithful  servant,'  will 
ring  in  your  ears." 

"Here,  then,  is  a  definite  promise  that  if  you  confess 
your  sins  He  will  forgive  them ;  if  you  invite  Him  into 
your  heart  He  will  come,  and  if  you  obey  His  com- 
mandments He  will  manifest  Himself  to  you." 


DECISION-DAY  IN  THE  SUNDAY  SCHOOL  87 

**In  view  of  these  promises,  how  many  of  you  are 
willing  to  accept  Christ  as  your  Savior  now?  You  all 
expect  to  do  it  sometime,  of  course,  but  there  is  no 
time  so  good  as  the  present.  Will  all  the  school  please 
bow  their  heads?" 

"Now  we  will  have  a  few  moments  of  prayer,  in 
which  I  wish  that  every  unsaved  person  in  the  house 
would  confess  their  sins  and  receive  Christ  as  their 
Savior.  I  will  pray  for  you,  and  I  will  put  it  in  such 
a  way  that  if  you  will  make  my  words  your  prayer  it 
will  bring  Jesus  Christ  into  your  heart." 

After  the  prayer,  made  just  as  simple  and  direct 
as  possible,  I  would  assume  that  some  of  them  had 
accepted  Christ.     Then  I  would  say: 

"The  first  step  in  beginning  the  Christian  life  is  to 
accept  Christ  as  one's  Savior,  and  that  I  am  sure 
some  of  you  have  done.  The  second  step  is  to  confess 
Christ  as  your  Savior.  In  Romans  10:  o  we  read,  *If 
thou  Shalt  confess  with  thy  mouth  the  Lord  Jesus,  and 
Shalt  believe  in  thine  heart  that  God  hath  raised  Him 
from  the  dead,  thou  shalt  be  saved.'  You  have 
accepted  Christ,  and  the  next  thing  to  do  is  to  tell 
someone  of  it.  If  I  were  you  I  would  tell  my  teacher 
that  I  had  settled  the  question,  and  had  decided  to  live 
a  Christian  life." 

At  this  point  give  the  school  five  minutes  for  this 
purpose,  saying:  ''Now,  teachers  and  scholars,  just 
have  a  free  talk  with  each  other  about  this  important 
matter. " 

After  a  suitable  interval  let  the  leader  say,  "I  would 
advise  those  of  you  who  have  accepted  Christ  to-day  to 
tell  your  parents  what  you  have  done,  and  ask  them  to 
help  you  in  your  Christian  life.     If  you  care  to  come 


88  DECISION-DAY  IN  THE  SUNDAY  SCHOOL 

and  tell  me,  I  should  be  glad  to  give  you  a  Life  Card, 
which  I  am  sure  you  will  find  very  helpful. ' '  On  the 
first  page  is  a  covenant  which  I  would  read  to  them, 
and  suggest  that  after  they  arrive  home  they  read  it 
carefully,  and  then  kneel  down  and  ask  God  to  help 
them  keep  it,  and  then  sign  it  with  pen  and  ink,  put- 
ting down  also  the  date  when  they  signed  it,  and  the 
place  where  they  live.     Say  to  them : 

*'You  will  find  this  covenant  useful  in  many  ways. 
For  instance,  the  devil  will  very  likely  come  around 
to-morrow  morning  and  try  to  make  you  think  you  are 
not  a  Christian.  He  will  say,  perhaps,  'You  thought 
you  became  a  Christian  yesterday,  but  you  were  mis- 
taken, for  this  morning  when  your  brother  hid  your 
shoes  under  the  bed  and  made  you  late  for  breakfast 
you  lost  your  temper,  now  didn't  you?'  and  perhaps 
you  may  have  to  confess  that  you  did.  'Well,'  he  will 
say,  'that  proves  that  you  are  not  a  Christian,  for  if 
you  were  you  would  not  lose  your  temper.'  This 
statement  is  not  true,  as  I  can  show  you  by  a  simple 
illustration.  Suppose  you  should  go  to  work  to-mor- 
row for  a  man  whose  name  we  will  call  Mr.  Johnson. 
Mr.  Johnson  is  now  your  new  master,  is  he  not?  Sup- 
pose that  the  first  day  you  should  spoil  a  yard  of  cloth 
or  break  a  machine.  Would  that  prove  that  Mr.  John- 
son is  not  your  new  master?  By  no  means.  Have 
you  left  his  employ?  No.  Do  you  intend  to  leave  it? 
No.  What  does  it  prove,  then — the  fact  that  you  have 
damaged  his  work  or  broken  his  machine?  It  only 
proves  that  you  have  not  been  as  careful  to  please  your 
new  master  as  you  should  have  been,  or  that  you  did 
not  fully  understand  his  work;  that  is  all.  So,  if  you 
have   taken  Christ  as  your  new  Master   to-day,   and 


DECISION-DAY  IN  THE  SUNDAY  SCHOOL  89 

to-morrow  morning  should  lose  your  temper,  what 
does  that  prove?  That  Jesus  Christ  is  not  your  new 
Master?  By  no  means:  Has  He  discharged  you? 
No.  Have  you  left  His  service?  Certainly  not.  Do 
you  want  to  leave  it?  By  no  means.  Then  what  does 
it  prove — the  fact  that  you  lost  your  temper  the  very 
first  day?  Why,  it  only  proves  that  you  were  not  as 
careful  to  please  your  new  Master  as  you  should  have 
been ;  that  is  all.  I  hope  you  will  not  do  it,  of  course, 
but  if  you  should,  the  thing  to  do  is  to  kneel  right 
down  and  confess  your  sin,  and  He  will  forgive  it 
instantly;  and  then  be  more  careful  to  please  Him  in 
the  future. 

"Now,  suppose  you  had  taken  one  of  these  Life 
Cards  and  signed  it,  see  what  a  help  it  would  be  to 
you.  You  could  take  it  out  and  show  it  to  him  and 
say,  *See  here,  Satan,  can  you  read  writing?  If  you 
can  you  will  see  my  name  at  the  bottom  of  this  cove- 
nant. I  signed  it  not  in  the  Sunday  School,  not  under 
any  excitement  or  pressure,  but  all  by  myself  in 
my  own  room.  I  signed  it  because  I  meant  it,  because 
that  is  the  kind  of  a  life  I  propose  to  live.  I  meant  it 
then  and  I  mean  it  now,  and  if  I  didn't  mean  it  then,  I 
do  mean  it  now.  So  Satan,  you  can  move  right  along. 
I  haven't  any  more  use  for  you,  I  have  a  new  Master.* 
Or,  perhaps,  ten  years  from  now  you  might  open  your 
Bible  and  fine  this  covenant,  and  it  would  bring  back 
this  hour  to  your  mind,  and  you  would  say:  'I  haven't 
been  as  faithful  to  Christ  as  He  has  been  to  me, 
but,  thank  God,  I  haven't  withdrawn  from  that  posi- 
tion which  I  took  in  that  Sunday  School,  and  that 
position  is  the  Christian  life.*  And  thus  your  weak 
faith  may  often  be  strenthened  by  this  outward  and 


90  DECISION-DAY  IN  THE  SUNDAY  SCHOOL 

visible  evidence  of  the  covenant  which  you  made  with 
God  a  few  moments  ago. ' ' 

Having  offered  to  give  a  Life  Card  to  any  who 
come  for  it  I  would  then  dismiss  the  school.  The 
teachers,  who  have  been  previously  instructed,  will 
encourage  their  pupils  to  come  and  get  the  Life  Card, 
and  if  necessary  will  come  with  them.  Often  a  teacher 
will  come  bringing  a  whole  class  of  boys  or  young  men 
with  her.  As  they  come,  the  leader  can  ask  each  one 
personally  if  they  have  really  accepted  Christ  as  their 
Savior,  and  when  they  did  it.  In  many  instances 
they  will  say,  "I  did  it  while  you  were  praying,  or 
while  my  teacher  was  talking  with  me. "  It  is  a  good 
plan  to  ask  them  to  shake  hands  with  you  as  a  token  of 
their  sincerity,  and  make  them  promise  to  sign  the 
Life  Card  as  they  take  it.  Then  say  to  each  one: 
*' There  is  one  thing  more  I  wish  you  to  do,  and  that 
is  to  go  and  tell  your  pastor  just  what  you  have  told 
me.  Will  you  do  it?"  In  this  way  you  pass  them  on 
to  him,  and  commit  them  to  their  purpose  still  more. 
Occasionally  one  will  come  for  a  card  who  has  not 
really  accepted  Christ,  but  is  only  thinking  of  it,  but 
usually  he  can  be  persuaded  to  settle  the  question  in  a 
moment  or  two,  if  one  is  wise  and  tactful. 

After  all  have  come  who  are  likely  to,  I  would  sug- 
gest that  all  kneel  down  and  tell  the  Lord  audibly  what 
they  have  said  before  in  their  heart,  and  to  make  it 
easy  for  them  it  would  be  well  to  lead  them  in  prayer, 
asking  them  to  follow  you  in  concert,  sentence  by  sen- 
tence. It  is  a  great  help  to  them  to  hear  their  own 
voice  as  they  enter  into  covenant  with  the  Master,  and 
you  also  make  sure  that  they  say  the  things  you  wish 
them  to  say. 


DECISION-DAY  IN  THE  SUNDAY  SCHOOL  91 

I  would  then  lead  them  in  prayer,  making  sure  that 
they  confess  their  sins,  and  invite  Jesus  to  come  into 
their  heart  and  take  possession  of  their  life. 

When  they  had  risen  I  would  question  each  one 
something  after  this  fashion:  "Henry,  you  knelt  and 
confessed  your  sins  and  asked  God  to  forgive  you  for 
Christ's  sake.  Did  you  really  mean  it?"  "Yes,  I 
did."  "Do  you  think  He  has  forgiven  you?"  "I 
don't  know,  I  am  sure."  "What  did  He  say  He 
would  do,  if  you  confessed  your  sins?"  "He  said  He 
would  forgive  me. "  "Do  you  think  God  has  lied  to 
you?"  "Of  course  not."  "Then  where  are  your 
sins?"  "They  must  be  forgiven. "  "What  makes  you 
think  so?"     "Because  God  says  so." 

Or  I  would  say:  "Jesus  says  in  Rev.  3:  20,  *Behold, 
I  stand  at  the  door  and  knock ;  if  any  one  hear  my 
voice  and  open  the  door,  I  will  come  into  him.*  I 
heard  you  ask  Him  to  come  into  your  heart.  Did  you 
really  mean  it?"  "I  did."  "Do  you  think  He  has 
come  into  your  heart?"  "I  do."  "Why  do  you  think 
so?"  "Because  I  feel  better,  because  I  am  so  happy." 
"Very  well,  but  suppose  you  wake  up  in  the  morning 
with  a  headache.  You  wouldn't  feel  happy  then, 
would  you?"  "I  suppose  not."  "Then  where  would 
your  hope  of  salvation  be?  Do  you  not  see  that  if 
your  hope  of  acceptance  depends  upon  your  feelings  it 
will  vary  from  day  to  day?"  Then  show  him  that  if  he 
has  honestly  invited  Jesus  to  come  into  his  heart  he 
has  His  promise  that  He  would  come,  which  is  the 
best  evidence  that  a  Christian  can  have. 

If  one  has  time  it  is  well  to  give  the  converts  some 
instruction  concerning  the  dual  nature  of  the  Christian 
life.     Show  them  that  while  the  unsaved  person  has 


92  DECISION-DAY  IN  THE  SUNDAY  SCHOOL 

only  one  nature,  and  that  the  selfish,  sinful  nature,  the 
Christian  has  in  addition  a  new  Divine  nature  which  is 
Jesus  Christ.  Let  them  understand  that  the  old 
nature  is  not  one  whit  better  now  than  it  was  before 
their  conversion,  and  that  all  their  temptations  will 
come  from  this  source.  However,  ''Greater  is  He 
that  is  in  you,  than  he  that  is  in  the  world."  And, 
*'God  is  faithful,  who  will  not  suffer  you  to  be  tempted 
above  that  ye  are  able ;  but  will  with  the  temptation 
also  make  a  way  to  escape,  that  ye  may  be  able  to 
bear  it." 

In  holding  such  a  service  it  is  best  to  exclude  the 
smaller  children  from  the  main  room,  and  have  a 
separate  service  with  them  if  desired.  Some  may  also 
prefer  to  call  for  an  expresson  by  rising,  or  by  entering 
an  inquiry-room,  but  do  not  fail  to  deal  personally  with 
each  one  and  see  that  they  have  a  scriptural  reason  for 
their  hope  of  salvation. 

FOLLOWING   UP   RESULTS 

This  is  very  important.  Indeed,  it  is  a  question 
whether  it  is  wise  to  hold  such  a  service  unless  it  is  to 
be  carefully  followed  up.  A  Decision  Day  opens  the 
way  for  conversation  with  every  person  in  the  parish, 
and  a  careful  canvass  should  follow  to  lead  to  Christ 
those  who  did  not  accept  Him  during  the  service. 
The  parents  of  all  who  decided  should  be  visited,  and 
their  co-operation  secured.  In  some  instances  where 
the  parents  were  not  Christians,  such  a  visit  has  led  to 
their  conversion. 

A  class  for  the  converts  should  be  formed  for  instruc- 
tion in  the  duties  and  doctrines  of  the  Christian  life, 


DECISION-DAY  IN  THE  SUNDAY  SCHOOL  93 

and  in  due  season  they  should  be  received  into  the 
Church.  The  Life  Card  is  a  four-page  leaflet  which 
contains  many  useful  hints  on  Christian  living,  how  to 
grow  in  grace,  how  to  use  the  Bible,  etc.  It  may  be 
obtained  of  the  Bible  Institute  Colportage  Association, 
250  La  Salle  Avenue,  Chicago,  111.  Price,  4  cents  per 
dozen,  30  cents  per  hundred. 

The  covenant  which  the  converts  are  asked  to  sign 
and  keep  in  their  Bibles,  where  they  may  often  see  it, 
reads  as  follows : 

In  obedience  to  God's  cojnmand,  I  do  here  and  now  turn  from 
every  known  sin,  and  believe  the  Gospel  that  Christ  died  for  my 
sins,  was  buried  and  rose  again.  I  receive  Jesus  as  my  Redeemer, 
who  bore  my  sins  in  His  own  body  on  the  cross  (2  Cor.  5:  21 ;  Gal. 
3:  13;  I  Pet.  2:  24),  and  who  has  power  to  forgive  my  sins  (Mark 
2:  10;  Acts  5:  31).  as  my  teacher  to  whom  I  will  submit  all  my 
thoughts  (John  6:  68),  as  my  guide  to  whom  I  will  commit  the 
direction  of  my  life  (Acts  9:  6),  as  my  risen  Savior  whom  I  will 
trust  to  keep  me  from  falling  (Jude  24)  and  save  me  to  the  utter- 
most (Heb.  7:  25)  and  resting  upon  God's  assurance,  I  believe  all 
my  sins  are  forgiven  and  /  have  eternal  life. 

(Signed) 

19 Place , 


THE  CONVERSION  OF  CHILDREN 

REV.    E.    P.    HAMMOND    AND    R.    A.    TORREY 

No  revival  is  what  it  ought  to  be  if  a  good  deal  of 
attention  is  not  given  to  the  children,  and  much 
prayerful  effort  put  forth  for  their  conversion.  If 
Christian  people  use  the  divinely  appointed  means  to 
lead  souls,  young  or  old,  to  Christ,  they  may  confi- 
denty  expect  God's  blessing,  but  this  is  pre-eminently 
true  in  dealing  with  children.  Dr.  Duff,  of  Scotland, 
went  to  India  and  labored  for  the  conversion  of  the 
heathen,  yet  with  all  his  eloquence  I  heard  him  say  in 
the  Free  Church  Assembly  Hall  of  Edinburgh,  that  his 
labors  were  a  comparative  failure  until  he  turned  his 
attention  to  the  children,  and  held  up  Christ  as  the 
atoning  sacrifice  for  the  sins  of  the  world,  then  their 
hearts  were  touched,  and  many  repented  and  believed 
in  the  Lord  Jesus.  From  that  time  on  he  began  to 
speak  of  certainties  instead  of  continuing  to  speak  of 
possibilities.  **Take  heed,"  said  Jesus,  ''that  ye 
despise  not  one  of  these  little  ones. ' '  The  word  trans- 
lated "despise"  is  a  very  suggestive  word.  It  means 
literally  to  think  down,  to  think  little  or  nothing  of. 
Take  heed  that  ye  think  not  down  one  of  these  little 
ones.  The  conversion  of  a  child  may  be  of  very  little 
importance  in  our  sight,  but  it  is  of  immense  impor- 
tance in  Jesus's  sight. 

94 


THE   CONVERSION   OF   CHILDREN        95 


I.      THE    IMPORTANCE    OF     THE     CONVERSION    OF     CHILDREN 

1.  The  conversion  of  a  child  is  important  in  the  first 
place  because  children  oftentimes  die.  Most  people 
in  Chicago  die  in  childhood.  For  every  one  who  dies 
between  twenty  and  forty  there  are  many  who  die 
between  birth  and  twenty.  So  with  very  many  of  the 
children  at  any  time  upon  the  earth,  they  must  be  con- 
verted in  childhood  or  pass  into  eternity  unconverted. 
In  spite  of  the  large  number  of  children's  caskets  that 
pass  us  in  hearses,  it  is  hard  to  bring  people  to  realize 
how  likely  children  are  to  die.  We  look  at  the  white- 
haired  man  and  say  he  is  likely  to  die  soon,  but  we 
look  at  the  little  child  and  think  that  child  has  many 
years  before  it.  That  is  not  at  all  sure.  We  have 
very  rude  awakenings  from  this  dream.  Mothers  and 
fathers  do  you  realize  that  your  children  may  die? 
Up  quick,  then,  and  lead  them  to  Christ  before  that 
day  comes.  If  you  do  not  it  will  be  the  darkest  day 
you  ever  knew,  but  if  you  have  led  them  to  Christ  it 
will  not  be  a  dark  day.  Lonely  it  will  be  but  not 
dark.  Nay  it  will  be  glorious  with  the  thought  that 
the  voyage  is  over  and  the  glory  land  reached  quickly 
by  one  you  love.  Sunday  School  teachers  do  you 
realize  that  any  one  of  the  boys  or  girls  in  the  class 
you  teach  may  die  any  day?  Up,  then,  and  win  them 
to  Christ  as  speedily  as  you  may. 

2.  The  conversion  of  children  is  important,  in  the 
second  place,  because  it  is  much  easier  to  win  a  child 
to  Christ  than  an  adult.  I  once  heard  Dr.  E.  N.  Kirk, 
of  Boston,  say,  '*If  I  could  live  my  life  over  again,  I 
would  labor  much  more  among  children. "  During  a 
series  of  meetings  lasting  sometimes  five  or  six  weeks, 


96        THE   CONVERSION   OF   CHILDREN 

I  have  seen  more  children  converted  the  first  week 
than  adults  in  all  the  weeks  following.  Children  have 
no  old  prejudices  to  overcome  as  many  grown  people 
have.  With  the  help  of  the  Holy  Spirit  they  are  easily 
led  to  feel  the  great  love  of  Christ  in  giving  Himself  to 
die  for  them,  and  when  the  simple  story  of  His  suffer- 
ing and  death  is  read  and  explained  from  God's  Word, 
they  believe  it,  and  exercise  saving  faith,  and  there 
and  then  the  Holy  Spirit  effects  a  change  of  heart. 
Mr.  Spurgeon  once  said  in  my  hearing,  "I  could  spend 
days  in  giving  details  of  young  children  whom  I  have 
known  and  personally  conversed  with,  who  have  given 
evidence  of  a  change  of  heart,"  and  he  added,  "I  have 
more  confidence  in  the  spiritual  life  of  such  children 
whom  I  have  taken  into  my  church,  than  I  have  in  the 
spiritual  condition  of  adults  thus  received.  I  will  go 
further  and  say  that  I  have  usually  found  a  clearer 
knowledge  of  the  Gospel  and  a  warmer  love  toward 
Christ  in  the  child  convert  than  in  the  man  convert. 
I  may  astonish  you  by  saying  that  I  have  sometimes 
met  with  a  deeper  spiritual  experience  in  a  child  of  ten 
or  twelve  than  in  some  persons  of  fifty  or  sixty.  I 
have  known  a  child  who  would  weep  himself  to  sleep 
by  the  month  together  under  a  crushing  sense  of  sin. 
If  you  would  know  deep  and  bitter  and  awful  fear  of 
the  wrath  of  God,  let  me  tell  you  what  I  felt  as  a  boy. 
If  you  want  to  know  what  faith  in  Christ  is,  you  must 
not  look  to  those  who  have  been  bemuddled  by  the 
heretical  jargon  of  the  times,  but  to  the  dear  children 
who  have  taken  Jesus  at  His  word,  and  believed  on 
Him,  and  therefore  know  and  are  sure  that  they  are 
saved." 

Every  year  that  passes  over  our  heads  unconverted 


THE    CONVERSION   OF   CHILDREN        97 

our  hearts  are  less  open  to  holy  impressions.  Every 
year  away  from  Christ  our  hearts  become  harder  in 
sin.  That  needs  no  proof.  The  practice  of  sin 
increases  the  power  of  sin  in  our  lives.  God  and 
heaven  and  Christ  and  holiness  lie  very  near  child- 
hood, but  if  the  child  remains  away  from  Christ,  every 
year  they  become  farther  and  farther  away.  When  I 
see  a  child  walk  into  the  inquiry  room  of  a  Sunday 
evening,  I  feel  quite  certain  that  if  a  worker  of  any 
sense  gets  hold  of  that  child  it  is  going  to  be  con- 
verted; but  when  I  see  a  man  or  a  woman  walk  in 
there  I  do  not  feel  at  all  as  sure.  The  adult  has 
become  so  entangled  in  sin,  the  mind  has  become  so 
darkened  by  the  error  and  skepticism  that  arise  out  of 
sin,  there  are  so  many  complications  added  by  each 
year,  that  the  case  of  an  adult  is  very  difficult  as  com- 
pared with  that  of  a  child.  The  fact  is,  that  with  very 
many  if  they  are  not  converted  in  childhood  they  will 
never  be  converted  at  all.  Fathers  and  mothers,  that 
is  true  of  the  children  in  our  homes.  Sunday  School 
teachers,  that  is  true  of  the  children  in  your  Sunday 
School  classes.     It  is  now  or  never. 

3.  Conversion  of  the  children  is  important,  in  the 
third  place,  because  converted  children  are  among  the 
most  useful  workers  for  Christ.  They  can  reach  per- 
sons who  are  inaccessible  to  everyone  else.  They  can 
reach  their  schoolmates  and  playmates,  the  Jewish  chil- 
dren, the  Catholic  children,  the  children  of  worldly 
parents  and  infidels.  They  can  bring  them  to  Sunday 
School  or  to  children's  meetings,  and  to  Christ.  You 
and  I  cannot  get  close  enough  to  them  to  show  them 
how  beautiful  Jesus  is,  and  what  joy  and  blessing  He 
brings.      They  can.     Then  they  can  reach  their  par* 


98        THE   CONVERSION   OF   CHILDREN 

ents  oftentimes  when  we  cannot.  They  will  not  listen 
to  US,  but  they  will  to  their  children.  There  was  a 
rough,  drunken  gambler  in  Minneapolis,  Minn.  He 
often  went  by  the  mission  door,  but  when  a  worker 
invited  him  in  he  repelled  him  with  rude  insults.  But 
his  child,  about  ten  years  old,  was  gotten  into  the  Sun- 
day School  and  won  for  Christ.  Then  she  began  to 
work  and  pray  for  her  drunken  papa,  and  a  cottage 
meeting  was  at  last  held  in  his  wretched  home.  The 
father  took  down  his  overcoat  to  go  to  the  saloon. 
Little  Annie  asked  him  if  he  would  not  stay  to  the 
meeting.  He  roughly  answered,  "No. "  "Won't  you 
stay  for  my  sake,  papa?"  The  man  hung  up  his  coat. 
The  meeting  began,  and  the  man  was  surly  and  wished 
he  was  out  of  it.  They  knelt  in  prayer  while  he  sat  on 
the  end  of  the  sofa.  One  after  another  prayed.  Then 
all  were  silent.  Then  Annie's  little  voice  was  heard  in 
prayer  something  like  this:  "God,  save  my  papa."  It 
broke  the  wicked  man's  heart,  and  then  and  there  he 
accepted  Christ.  He  afterwards  became  a  deacon  in 
my  church.  When  New  Year's  day  came  and  many 
had  testified  for  Christ,  Annie  arose  and  said:  "Papa 
used  to  drink  and  mamma  used  to  drink,  grandpa 
used  to  drink,  and  grandma  used  to  drink.  But  papa 
is  a  Christian  now,  and  mamma  is  a  Christian  now,  and 
grandpa  is  a  Christian  now,  and  grandma  is  a  Christian 
now,  and  Uncle  Joe  is  a  Christian  now,  and  auntie  is  a 
Christian  now.  I  guess  we  are  all  Christians  down  to 
our  house  now."  But  the  little  girl  herself  led  the 
way.  Wasn't  the  conversion  of  that  child  important? 
Many  a  hardened  sinner  and  many  a  skeptic  has  been 
led  to  Christ  by  a  child. 

When  in  Scotland  I  heard  a  touching  story,  showing 


THE   CONVERSION   OF  CHILDREN        99 

how  a  child's  simple  question  was  used  in  leading  a 
scoffing  skeptic  to  the  feet  of  Jesus.  It  is  a  true  story. 
I  was  acquainted  with  the  father  of  the  child.  Let  the 
skeptic  tell  the  story: 

"As  I  stepped  upon  the  platform  at  the  railway 
station,  a  hand  was  laid  upon  my  arm,  and  a  voice 
said,  *  Norman,  is  this  you?' 

'*I  turned  and  looked  at  the  speaker.     It  was  an  old 

classmate,  Richard ,  with  whom  I  had  agreed  to 

pass  a  few  weeks  and  had  not  seen  for  years.  After 
we  had  pushed  our  way  through  the  noisy  crowd  and 
were  seated  in  his  carriage  I  looked  at  him  again,  and 
exclaimed : 

**  *  Richard,  how  you  have  altered!  how  different 
now  from  the  wild  youth  of  old !  * 

'*  'Yes,  Norman,  there  have  been  many  changes 
with  me  since  we  parted ;  but  the  greatest  has  been 
here, '  said  he,  smiling  and  gently  touching  his  breast. 

"  'Humph!'  was  my  ejaculation,  which  elicited  no 
reply. 

"That  evening,  as  he,  his  wife,  and  myself  were 
walking  in  the  conservatory,  and  I  was  admiring  some 
jessamines,  he  said  to  me,  'Norman,  I  have  yet  a  little 
treasure  to  show  you,  and,  although  it  is  small,  it  is 
greater  than  all  these,  almost  the  greatest  one  I  have. 
Can  you  guess?' 

"When  we  went  back  to  the  drawing-room  he 
showed  to  me  his  beautiful  little  girl,  his  only  child, 
his  little  Bessie.  I  was  not  fond  of  children,  but 
strangely  did  the  little  maiden  win  her  way  to  my 
heart.  Eight  cloudless  summers  of  her  sunny  life  had 
passed,  and  had  each  one  as  it  gently  glided  by  left  with 
her  all  its  charms  she  could  not  have  been  more  beautiful. 


loo      THE   CONVERSION   OP   CHILDREN 

**That  evening,  sweet  in  memory  to  me,  we  became 
firm  friends.  She  loved  me  because,  when  she  asked 
papa,  he  said  he  did. 

"The  next  day  we  all  went  out  for  a  drive.  Little 
Bessie  was  bright  and  beautiful  as  the  day,  but  some- 
times there  was  a  strange  thoughtfulness  of  expression 
upon  her  face  which  troubled  me  as  being  beyond  her 
years. 

As  I  was  talking  to  her  father  I  said  something  jeer- 
ingly  about  Him  Who  had  led  the  only  pure  life  on 
earth.  Richard  said  not  a  word  in  reply,  but  motioned 
me  to  look  at  Bessie.  She  was  looking  into  my  face 
with  a  gaze  of  mingled  horror  and  surprise — an 
expression  such  as  I  never  saw  before  nor  since,  and 
which  I  shall  never  forget.  It  was  for  a  moment.  No 
one  spoke.  Then  the  little  maid  burst  into  a  flood  of 
uncontrollable  tears,  and  I  felt  a  certain  shame  that  in 
the  presence  of  one  so  pure  I  should  have  spoken  what 
she  had  never  heard  before.  Then  she  looked  at  me  in 
a  sort  of  pitying  way,  and  said,  *I  thought  you  loved 
my  Jesus;  oh,  how  could  you  have  said  that  of  Him?' 
During  the  rest  of  the  drive  she  lay  upon  her  father's 
bosom  in  perfect  silence. 

"The  next  morning  I  was  alone  in  my  room  think- 
ing of  all  that  had  occurred,  and  a  strange  unaccount- 
able feeling  of  seriousness  was  creeping  over  me,  a 
sort  of  longing  to  be  like  her,  when  suddenly  the  little 
one  was  at  my  side.  I  started  as  I  saw  her,  and  met 
the  tender  gaze  of  love  and  pity  which  she  bent  upon 
me.  Her  head  was  laid  upon  my  arm,  and  for  a 
moment  both  were  silent.  Then  the  silence  was 
broken  with  the  words,  'Won't  you  love  my  Jesus?' 
and  she  was  gone. 


THE   CONVERSION   OF   CHILDREN      loi 

**I  could  not  ridicule  that  lovely  spirit.  The  next 
morning,  and  the  next,  and  the  next,  the  little  girl 
came  in  the  same  way,  said  the  same  words  and  disap- 
peared. I  never  answered  her,  and  at  no  other  time 
did  she  allude  to  the  subject;  but  she  never  failed  to 
come  at  that  morning  hour. 

"One  day  I  said  to  her:  *Tell  me  how,  Bessie.'  She 
looked  at  me  a  moment,  and  the  next  was  seated  on 
my  knee,  and  the  words  that  flowed,  those  simple, 
childish  words  in  which  she  told  the  story  of  Christ's 
love,  never  shall  I  forget.  My  eyes  w^ere  far  from  dry 
when  she  went  away,  but  there  was  less  sorrow  on  her 
face  than  usual.  Morning  after  morning  she  came, 
and  never  seemed  weary  of.  telling  the  sweet  tale. 
But  one  morning  she  did  not  come,  and  I  waited  a 
long  time  in  vain.  No  little  feet  came  pattering  along 
the  hall ;  no  little  hand  was  clasped  in  mine ;  no  little 
words  of  instruction  were  lisped  in  my  ear.  Presently 
there  came  a  hurried  knock  at  my  door.  It  was 
opened  without  waiting  for  permission,  and  her  father 
was  with  me. 

'*  'Norman,'  said  he,  *she  has  just  waked  from  a  long 
and  heavy  sleep  and  is  fearfully  ill.  Will  you  come? 
Tell  me  if  you  know  what  it  is. ' 

*'I  went.  There  lay  the  little  one  with  eyes  closed, 
and  in  a  sort  of  stupor.  I  knew  at  a  glance  it  was 
scarlet  fever.  How  I  told  those  two  aching  hearts  I 
know  not;  but  they  were  wonderfully  calm  in  their 
anguish.  The  doctor  soon  confirmed  my  statement, 
but  there  was  so  painfully  little  to  be  done  for  the  dear 
sufferer  that  two  days  passed  almost  in  silence  as  we 
watched  over  her  precious  form.  We  knew  from  the 
first  that  she  was  no  longer  of  the  earth,  and,  indeed, 


I02      THE   CONVERSION   OF   CHILDREN 

it  was  a  heavy  burden  for  us  to  bear  to  think  that  she 
no  longer  would  be  the  light  of  our  hearts.  I  say  we, 
for,  though  I  was  perhaps  mistaken,  the  little  one  had 
so  taken  possession  of  my  heart,  that  it  seemed  to  me 
that  she  could  not  be  dearer  to  those  who  had  the  first 
earthly  claim  upon  her  affections.  At  the  end  of  the 
second  day  her  life  seemed  partially  to  return.  She 
opened  her  eyes  and,  smiling,  said,  'Dear  Uncle  Nor- 
man, won't  you  love  my  Jesus?  Mamma  loves  Him, 
papa  loves  Him,  and  I  love  Him,  and  am  going  to 
Him,  and  I  want  to  tell  Him  that  you  will  love  Him.' 

**  *  Bessie,'  said  I,  "tell  Him  my  heart  and  life  are  His 
forever  more. ' 

**  *  Mamma,  papa,  I  am  so  happy  now.  Now  I  have 
all  I  want.  Now  I  come.  I  come.  Lord  Jesus!'  and 
the  youthful  spirit,  so  pure,  so  holy,  returned  whence 
it  came.  God's  little  messenger  had  turned  a  soul  to 
righteousness,  and  was  called  home. ' ' 

4.  The  conversion  of  children  is  important  because 
persons  converted  in  childhood  make  the  best  Chris- 
tians. If  one  is  converted  when  he  is  old  he  has 
learned  many  bad  tricks  of  character  and  life  that  have 
to  be  unlearned,  and  it  is  generally  a  pretty  slow 
process.  But  when  one  is  converted  in  childhood 
character  is  yet  to  be  formed,  and  it  can  be  formed 
from  the  beginning  on  right  lines.  If  you  wish  to 
train  a  tree  into  a  thing  of  beauty  and  symmetry  you 
had  better  begin  when  it  is  young.  If  you  want  to 
form  a  character  of  Christlike  symmetry  and  beauty 
you  would  better  begin  in  childhood.  That  Christlike 
man  of  the  olden  time,  Polycarp,  who  ended  his  life 
as  a  martyr  at  ninety-five,  was  converted  at  nine. 
That  fine  young  man  of  the  New  Testament,  Timothy, 


THE   CONVERSION   OF  CHILDREN      103 

was  brought  tip  on  Scripture  from  a  babe.  I  rejoice 
with  all  my  heart  when  an  old  broken-down  drunkard 
is  brought  to  Christ.  It  means  so  much.  But  it 
means  so  much  more  when  a  child  is  brought  to  Christ. 
5.  The  conversion  of  children  is  important  once 
more  because  there  are  so  many  years  of  possible 
service  before  them.  If  one  is  to  live  to  eighty,  say,  if 
converted  at  seventy  there  is  a  soul  saved  plus  ten 
years  of  service.  When  the  boy  Polycarp  was  con- 
verted there  was  a  soul  saved  plus  eighty-six  years  of 
service.  I  think  enough  has  been  said  to  show  that 
the  coversion  of  the  children  is  tremendously  impor- 
tant, in  fact,  the  most  important  business  the  Church 
of  Christ  has  on  hand.  Surely  it  was  well  that  Jesus 
said,  **Take  heed  that  ye  despise  not  one  of  these  little 
ones." 

II.      WHO  IS  RESPONSIBLE  FOR  THE   CONVERSION  OF  THE 

CHILDREN? 

Now  we  come  to  another  question,  Wko  is  responsible 
for  the  conversion  of  children?  An  easy  question  to 
answer. 

I.  First  of  all,  the  parents  are  responsible  for  the 
conversion  of  the  children.  The  first  and  greatest 
responsibility  of  parents  regarding  their  children  is 
their  salvation.  The  responsibility  to  feed  and  clothe 
and  educate  our  children  is  nothing  to  our  responsi- 
bility to  bring  them  to  Christ  and  bring  them  up  in 
Christ.  The  parent  who  fails  to  bring  his  children  to 
Christ  has  failed  at  the  main  point  of  parental  responsi- 
bility. Yet  parents  are  willing  to  leave  the  conver- 
sion of  their  children  to  others,  to  the  minister,  to  the 
Sunday  School   teacher,  or   even    to   chance.      What 


I04      THE   CONVERSION   OF   CHILDREN 

would  you  think  of  yourself  if  you  left  the  feeding  of 
your  children  and  the  clothing  of  your  children  to 
others  or  to  chance?  You  would  despise  yourself,  and 
well  you  might,  but  you  would  not  really  be  as  despic- 
able as  if  you  left  the  salvation  of  your  children  to 
others.  This  is  your  highest  and  most  solemn  obliga- 
tion as  a  parent  to  bring  your  children  to  Christ. 
Have  you  done  it?  If  not,  then  go  at  it  at  once.  I  sat 
in  the  station  at  Evansville,  Ind.,  one  day  waiting  for 
a  train.  A  man  and  wife  came  in  with  two  babes,  one 
a  year  and  a  half  old,  the  other  three.  They  sat  down 
to  wait  for  another  train.  I  turned  to  the  man  and 
said,  **Are  you  a  Christian?"  '^No,  sir."  ''Then,"  I 
said,  "you  are  not  fit  to  be  the  father  of  those  chil- 
dren. God  has  laid  a  solemn  responsibility  upon  you 
in  giving  you  those  children  to  bring  up  for  Him. '  * 
And  I  say  to  every  parent  who  is  not  a  Christian,  an 
out  and  out  Christian,  you  are  not  fit  to  be  a  parent. 
The  highest  responsibility  of  fatherhood  and  mother- 
hood, you  are  unfit  for.  Get  fit  to-day  by  taking 
Christ  and  then  begin  at  once  to  lead  your  children  to 
Christ.  And  you  who  are  professed  Christians,  seek 
power  for  this  work  and  begin  at  once. 

2.  In  the  next  place,  the  responsibility  for  the  con- 
version of  the  children  rests  upon  all  pastors,  evan- 
gelists and  preachers  of  the  Word.  We  are  too 
exclusively  occupied  with  the  grown-up  people.  But 
Christ's  first  direction  to  the  great  preacher  Peter  was 
that  he  was  to  prove  his  love  by  feeding  the  lambs. 
The  minister  or  evangelist  who  overlooks  the  young  is 
disobeying  Jesus  Christ,  and  the  warning  of  Christ 
should  come  to  him  with  great  power,  "take  heed  that 
ye  despise  not  one  of  these  little  ones."     The  fact  is 


THE   CONVERSION   OF   CHILDREN      105 

that  it  is  our  pride  that  leads  us  to  neglect  the  children. 
It  is  gratifying  to  our  vanity  to  think  that  the  grown 
people  and  especially  the  men  flock  to  our  ministry. 
Anyone,  we  fancy,  can  interest  the  children,  but  it 
takes  men  of  our  own  great  mental  caliber  to  interest 
the  men.  Oh,  take  heed,  take  heed !  In  the  eyes  of 
our  Master  the  children  are  of  first  importance. 

3.  In  the  third  place,  the  responsibility  for  the  con- 
version of  the  children  rests  upon  the  Sunday  School 
teacher.  The  first  and  highest  duty  of  the  Sunday 
School  teacher  is  to  lead  his  scholars  to  Christ.  The 
Sunday  School  teacher  has  not  done  his  whole  work 
when  he  interests  his  scholars  or  even  when  he 
instructs  his  scholars  with  good,  sound,  orthodox  Bib- 
lical doctrine.  His  business  is  to  convert  them,  to  win 
them  to  Christ.  Sunday  School  teacher,  the  proba- 
bility is  that  there  are  scholars  in  your  class  that  will 
be  led  to  Christ  by  you  or  else  will  never  come.  Do 
you  realize  that?  When  you  next  sit  before  your  class 
let  this  thought  sink  deep  into  your  heart,  some  of 
these  scholars  are  to  be  won  to  Christ  by  me  or  lost 
forever.  Oh,  it  is  a  glorious  thing,  but  it  is  a  solemn 
thing  to  be  a  Sunday  School  teacher.  What  an  oppor- 
tunity! What  a  responsibility!  Yet  many  and  many 
a  Sunday  School  teacher  allows  scholars  to  drift  into 
their  class  and  drift  out  of  their  class  without  any 
definite  word  to  convert  and  save  them!  Under  the 
first  sermon  I  ever  preached  in  Chicago  a  young 
woman  was  deeply  stirred.  She  was  elegantly 
dressed,  and  occupied  a  respectable  place  in  society, 
but  only  because  her  history  was  not  yet  known.  She 
was  as  truly  a  sinner  as  any  woman  of  the  street.  The 
next  night,  in  conversation,  she  told  me  all  her  shame- 


io6      THE   CONVERSION   OF   CHILDREN 

ful  story.  I  pleaded  with  her  to  accept  Christ,  and 
have  her  vileness  washed  away.  She  said  that  I  was 
the  first  person  who  had  ever  spoken  to  her  about 
her  soul.  Her  mother  was  worldly,  but  for  six 
years  she  had  been  a  regular  attendant  at  one  Sunday 
School,  but  never  once  had  her  teacher  approached 
her  personally  about  accepting  Christ.  And  she  had 
gone  out  into  the  world  to  sin  and  shame.  What  a 
responsibility  rests  upon  the  heads  of  that  young 
woman's  Sunday  School  teachers!  Oh!  teachers,  be 
soul  winners,  realize  the  immense  importance  of  the 
conversion  of  the  children  to  Christ  and  feel  deeply 
your  own  responsibility  for  those  in  your  class. 

4.  After  Sunday  School  teachers  the  responsibility 
for  the  conversion  of  the  children  rests  upon  all  work- 
ers. We  must  save  the  old  if  we  can,  and,  thank  God, 
in  many  cases  we  can,  but  we  must  save  the  children 
anyhow.  In  church,  in  inquiry  meeting,  on  the  street, 
in  the  home,  everywhere,  look  out  for  the  children, 
and  take  every  possible  opportunity  to  bring  them  to 
Christ. 

III.      HOW  TO  CONVERT  THE  CHILDREN 

We  come  now  to  the  last  question  and  the  all-impor- 
tant one.  How  can  we  convert  the  children? 

I.  First  of  all,  by  prayer.  True  conversion  and 
regeneration  is  the  Holy  Spirit's  work.  It  is  He  con- 
victs of  sin  and  righteousness  and  judgment  (John 
16:8-11).  It  is  He  that  leads  to  saving  faith.  It  is 
He  that  makes  children  as  well  as  adults  new  creatures 
in  Christ  Jesus.  And  He  works  in  answer  to  prayer. 
There  must,  then,  be  very  definite  prayer  for  the  con- 
viction and  conversion  and  the  regeneration  of  the 


THE   CONVERSION   OF  CHILDREN      107 

children.  We  had  one  child  that  did  not  seem  natu- 
rally as  religiously  inclined  as  the  rest.  One  night  I 
was  led  to  ask  prayers  for  that  child.  That  very  night 
(or  perhaps  the  next)  when  I  went  home  I  was  told 
that  the  child  burst  into  tears  as  she  went  to  bed,  and 
when  her  sister  asked  her  what  was  the  matter  she 
replied,  "Oh,  I  am  afraid  I  shall  die  and  go  to  hell!'* 
She  did  die,  but,  thank  God,  before  the  hour  came 
prayer  had  been  answered,  and  she  was  trusting  Jesus 
and  went  to  be  with  Him  forever.  Oh,  parents,  pray 
for  your  children.  Sunday  School  teachers,  pray. 
Pray  definitely,  pray  earnestly,  pray  expectantly.  Of 
all  that  I  heard  in  my  own  Sunday  School  days  nothing 
impressed  me  so  as  a  story  of  a  teacher  who  prayed 
earnestly  for  all  her  scholars  and  all  were  converted. 
I  was  a  mere  boy  when  I  heard  it,  but  when  in  later 
years  I  got  back  into  Sunday  School  as  a  teacher  I 
remembered  it  and  I  prayed.  My  class  was  composed 
of  reckless  boys,  but  I  saw  every  one  of  them,  with 
possibly  one  exception,  make  a  profession  of  faith  in 
Christ. 

2.  The  second  step  towards  the  conversion  of  the 
children  is  the  use  of  the  Word  of  God.  The  Word  of 
God  is  the  instrument  God  has  appointed  for  convic- 
tion, conversion  and  regeneration  (i  Pet.  1:23;  Jas. 
1:18).  Fathers,  mothers,  Sunday  School  teachers, 
study  your  Bibles  to  find  out  just  how  to  use  them  in 
leading  a  soul  to  Christ,  and  then  use  them  in  that 
way  with  the  children  in  the  Sunday  School  class,  in 
the  home,  in  the  inquiry  room  and  everywhere. 

3.  If  we  are  to  convert  the  children  we  must  be  bap- 
tized with  the  Holy  Spirit.  Jesus  said,  "Ye  shall 
receive  power  after  that  the  Holy  Ghost  is  come  upon 


io8      THE   CONVERSION   OF   CHILDREN 

you."  Holy  Ghost  power  is  what  every  parent  needs 
and  must  have.  Holy  Ghost  power  is  what  every 
Sunday  School  teacher  needs  and  must  have.  I  once 
met  a  gentleman  and  lady  who  had  read  an  address 
on  the  Baptism  with  the  Spirit,  and  they  had  sought 
and  received  this  baptism;  so  when  I  visited  the 
city  where  they  lived,  they  came  to  see  me.  Their 
hearts  were  full  of  joy.  The  man  told  me  what  won- 
drous things  God  had  done  for  him  by  the  Holy 
Spirit's  power.  Then  the  wife  broke  in  and  said, 
*'Yes,  and  the  best  part  of  it  is  that  I  have  been  able 
to  get  into  the  hearts  of  my  own  children,  which  I  was 
never  able  to  do  before. "  Ah!  that  is  what  we  want, 
parents,  to  get  into  the  hearts  of  our  children.  The 
baptism  with  the  Holy  Spirit  is  the  secret.  It  is  not 
enough  that  we  can  interest  and  amuse  and  instruct 
the  children.  It  is  not  enough  that  we  can  draw 
pretty  pictures  on  the  blackboard  and  play  kindergar- 
ten games,  and  sing  bright  songs,  and  get  texts  of 
Scripture,  and  pretty  notions  into  the  children's  heads. 
We  must  get  Christ  into  their  hearts.  We  must  get 
them  to  take  Jesus  as  their  own  Savior,  to  trust  in 
the  shed  blood  of  Calvary  and  to  surrender  to  Christ 
as  their  Lord  and  Master,  and  confess  Him  as  such 
before  the  world.  We  must  get  them  saved.  Much 
of  our  Sunday  School  work  and  of  all  our  children's 
work  in  this  day  is  tomfoolery  and  an  abomination  in 
the  sight  of  God.  We  get  the  children — yes,  v/e  get 
them  in  droves,  and  we  amuse  them,  and  we  instruct 
them,  and  we  delight  them,  and  we  send  them  home 
happy  and  resolved  to  come  again,  and  then  we  fancy 
we  have  done  a  good  work  for  God,  but  in  reality  we 
have  done  nothing  for  God  but  much  for  the  devil.     If 


THE   CONVERSION  OF  CHILDREN      109 

the  children  are  not  converted  your  work  is  a  failure. 
The  conversion  may  not  alwayst  be  immediate.  It 
takes  time  to  effect  real  conversion,  and  sometimes  the 
fruit  may  not  appear  until  years  after,  but  if  there  is 
not  converting  power  in  your  work  either  now  or 
ultimately,  your  work  has  been  a  failure.  That  there 
may  be  converting  power  in  our  work  we  must  have 
the  Holy  Ghost.  It  is  not  enough  that  we  know  the 
lesson,  it  is  not  enough  that  we  understand  all  these 
new-fangled  ways  of  teaching  and  interesting  the 
scholars,  we  must  have  the  Holy  Ghost.  Ah!  the 
teacher  that  knows  nothing  about  using  the  blackboard 
and  that  sort  of  thing,  but  knows  the  power  of  the 
Spirit,  is  worth  a  hundred  who  have  gone  to  all  the 
schools  of  methods  and  can  draw  as  well  as  Frank 
Beard  himself,  but  don't  know  the  power  of  the 
Holy  Ghost. 

4.  We  should  hold  special  meetings  for  children. 
In  these  meetings  as  the  children  come  in  they  should 
be  placed  in  classes  of  four  or  five,  with  a  teacher  at 
the  end  of  each  class.  There  should  be  first  a  class  of 
boys  and  then  a  class  of  girls.  This  will  prevent  dis- 
order and  noise.  There  should  be  a  good  deal  of  sing- 
ing, and  the  hymns  should  be  bright  and  fresh  and  of 
a  character  that  the  children  can  understand.  They 
should  be  taught  the  hymns  verse  by  verse,  and  the 
meaning  of  the  hymns  should  be  explained.  Hymns 
setting  forth  God's  love  and  the  atoning  death  of 
Christ  should  be  especially  used.  Children  enjoy  sing- 
ing the  same  verse  over  and  over  again  until  the  truth 
has  sunk  itself  way  down  into  their  hearts. 

The  sermon  should  be  short  and  simple,  emphasizing 
the  great  facts,  that  all,  including  children,  are  sin- 


no      THE   CONVERSION   OF   CHILDREN 

ners,  and  that  Jesus  has  borne  our  sin  in  His  own  body 
on  the  tree.  It  should  be  made  very  clear  just  what 
one  must  do  to  be  saved.  When  the  sermon  is  over, 
there  should  be  a  few  moments  of  silent  prayer,  then 
the  conductor  of  the  meeting  should  lead  in  a  simple 
direct  prayer  to  God,  having  the  children  follow  him 
audibly,  sentence  by  sentence.  When  this  is  done, 
each  teacher  of  a  class  should  deal  personally  with 
each  child  in  the  class,  seeking  to  bring  each  one  to  an 
immediate  and  intelligent  acceptance  of  Christ  as  Sav- 
ior. I  have  found  this  prayer,  that  is  simple  and 
easily  remembered,  of  great  help : 

••Jesus  take  this  heart  of  mine, 
Make  it  pure,  and  wholly  thine. 
Thou  hast  bled  and  died  for  me, 
I  will  henceforth  live  for  thee." 

(For  further  description  of  how  to  conduct  children's 
meetings,  see  chapter  on  "Decision  Day  in  the  Sunday 
School.") 


I.— THE  IMPORTANCE  OF  OPEN-AIR 
WORK 

OPEN-AIR  MEETINGS   OF  WILLIAM    EVANS 

This  is  seen  by  the  indisputable  fact  that  the  great- 
est and  most  influential  preachers  and  teachers  of  the 
ages  past,  and  the  age  in  which  we  now  live,  have  made 
constant  use  of  it. 

The  messages  of  the  prophets  were  delivered  in  the 
open  air.  God's  call  to  the  prophet  was:  "Go,  pro- 
claim these  words  in  the  streets  of  the  city"  (Jer.  ii :  6). 
The  sublime  evangelical  predictions  of  Isaiah;  the 
mournful  dirges  of  Jeremiah;  the  symbolical  and  pic- 
turesque visions  of  Ezekiel — all  these,  for  the  most 
part,  were  announced  in  the  streets  of  the  great  cities 
of  Jerusalem  and  Babylon.  Throughout  the  streets  of 
Nineveh  resounded  the  warning  voice  of  the  prophet 
Jonah.  The  message  of  Micah,  Nahum,  and  the  rest 
of  the  minor  prophets  was,  without  question,  "a  song 
of  the  winds."  Nehemiah's  great  revival  sermon — a 
sermon  which  resulted  in  an  almost  national  revival — 
was  preached  in  the  street  of  Jerusalem,  close  to  the 
water-gate.     (Neh.  8:  i,  3.) 

The  open-air  worker  and  preacher  of  to-day,  then, 
is  in  **the  goodly  order  of  the  prophets." 

The  Apostles  of  Jesus  Christ  were  noted  open-air 
workers.      The  command  of  their  Lord  and  Master 


112     IMPORTANCE    OF   OPEN-AIR  WORK 

was:  "Go  out  into  the  streets  of  the  city,  and  say.'* 
Paul's  greatest  sermon — that  masterstroke  of  homilet- 
ics — was  delivered  in  the  open  air,  preached  on  Mars 
Hill.  Peter's  "Magnum  Opus,"  that  great  pentecos- 
tal  sermon,  was  delivered  in  the  streets  of  the  great 
metropolis  of  Palestine.  The  Apostles  of  our  Lord  were 
great  street-preachers,  and  the  open-air  workers  of  to- 
day are  not  only  in  "the  goodly  order  of  the  prophets," 
they  are  also  "in  the  goodly  fellowship  of  the  Apos- 
tles, ' '  even  though  they  have  not  the  honor  of  being 
Episcopalians. 

Our  Lord  Jesus  Christ,  the  great  Exemplar  of 
Christianity,  was  a  great  open-air  worker.  His  great- 
est sermon,  the  "Magna  Charta"  of  our  holy  religion, 
that  incomparable  code  of  Christian  ethics,  that  Ser- 
mon on  the  Mount,  was  delivered  with  the  hillside  for 
a  pulpit  and  with  the  sky  for  a  sounding-board.  That 
our  Lord  was  noted  for  street-preaching  is  implied 
from  the  fact  that  in  the  record  of  the  last  judgment, 
recorded  in  Matthew,  twenty-fifth  chapter,  those  being 
judged  exclaimed:  "Didst  thou  not  preach  in  our 
streets?"  He  who  engages  in  street-preaching  and 
open-air  work  is  following  in  the  footsteps  of  his  Mas- 
ter. Beloved,  the  call  to  open-air  work  comes  to  us 
one  and  all  just  as  new  and  just  as  true  to-day  as  when 
the  sands  of  Galilee  were  fresh  with  His  footprints  and 
the  temple's  marble  pavement  echoed  with  His  tread. 

The  Church  of  England  sustains  a  great  many  open  J 
air  preaching-stations.  Noted  among  the  men  who 
preach  at  these  stations  are  the  Bishop  of  Bedford  and 
Lord  Radstock.  Many  of  the  prominent  ministers 
and  laymen  of  the  Established  Church  are  often  to  be 
seen  conducting  these  services.     In  Whitechapel,  Lon- 


IMPORTANCE    OF  OPEN-AIR  WORK     113 

don,  there  is  a  pulpit  built  in  the  wall,  from  which 
some  clergyman  addresses  those  who  come  to  hear. 

The  Presbyterians  of  London  are  also  very  aggres- 
sive in  this  line  of  work.  They  have  a  standing  com- 
mittee appointed  to  take  charge  of  open-air  work  there. 
The  famous  Presbyterian  preacher,  John  McNeil,  may 
be  heard  preaching  in  the  open-air  meetings. 

Spurgeon,  the  greatest  preacher  of  the  century,  was 
an  indefatigable  open-air  worker.  Read  his  lectures  to 
students,  and  see  what  rousing  talks  he  gives  them  on 
this  kind  of  work.  When  asked  one  day  what  he 
thought  of  ■  this  kind  of  work,  he  said:  "Give  us  all 
you  can  of  it;  the  more  the  better."  Whitefield, 
Wesley ,  Moody,  Meyer — in  fact,  the  best  men  and 
preachers  the  age  has  produced  for  the  ministry  of  the 
Gospel,  have  been  and  are  open-air  workers. 

One  of  the  laws  of  the  Presbytery  of  Glasgow  is  that 
every  minister,  once  a  month,  shall  obey  the  command 
of  the  Lord  Jesus  Christ  and  "go  out  into  the  high- 
ways and  the  hedges  and  compel  sinners  to  come  in.  *  * 
I  feel  constrained  to  say  that  I  think  this  would  be  a 
good  thing  for  all  our  Theological  Seminaries,  our 
Bible  Institutes,  our  Training  Schools  for  Christian 
work  to  insist  on.  1  hope  to  see  the  day — yea,  I 
believe  it  is  not  far  distant — when  every  such  institu- 
tion shall  have  in  its  possession  and  for  its  constant  use 
a  Gospel  wagon  and  a  Gospel  tent;  that  a  place  shall 
be  provided  in  their  faculties  for  a  teacher  and  pro- 
fessor of  open-air  work ;  and  that  it  shall  be  considered 
a  part  of  the  training  of  every  student  for  the  ministry 
of  the  Evangel  of  Jesus  Christ  to  go  out  into  the 
streets  and  preach  the  Gospel  to  the  masses,  and  thus 
follow  the  example  of  Him  who  brushed  the  dew  from 


114     IMPORTANCE    OF   OPEN-AIR  WORK 

the  Judean  lilies  as  He  went  about  doing  good  and 
preaching  the  Gospel  of  the  kingdom. 

IL— THE   VALUE   OF   OPEN-AIR  WORK 

I  use  the  word  value,  not  in  the  sense  of  the  com- 
parative worth  of  this  kind  of  Christian  work  to  that  of 
any  other  branch  of  the  same  work.  I  use  the  word 
in  the  sense  of  utility — as  to  what  its  value  is  to  every 
one  who  engages  in  it. 

/.  //  will  enable  you  to  reach  people  you  could  not 
otherwise  reach. 

This  is  true  with  regard  to  both  quality  and  quantity. 
Your  audiences  will  be  composed  of  people  moral  and 
immoral,  church-going  and  non  church-going,  righteous 
and  unrighteous,  honest  and  dishonest ;  the  father  and 
the  debauchee,  the  mother  and  the  harlot,  old  and 
young,  male  and  female,  national  and  international. 
There  will  be  a  goodly  representation  of  all  sorts  and 
conditions  of  both  men  and  women.  Such  a  hetero- 
geneous assembly,  such  a  motley  crowd,  would  not 
and  could  not  be  gathered  into  any  church  in  the  land 
— no,  not  even  in  our  so-called  institutional  churches. 

Then,  as  to  quantity — as  to  numbers.  Just  look  at 
the  crowds  you  can  reach!  Some  of  our  ministers  who 
have  only  a  handful  to  preach  to  might  have  hundreds 
if  they  would  go  out  into  the  open  air  and  preach. 
There  is  no  need,  in  this  day  of  our  Lord,  of  our  min- 
isters complaining  because  they  cannot  get  a  large  con- 
gregation to  preach  to.  If  you  want  an  audience,  you 
can  find  one  anywhere.  I  think  it  would  be  a  good 
thing,  when,  during  the  excessive  heat  of  the  summer 
months,  our  evening  services  are  so  poorly  attended — 


IMPORTANCE    OF  OPEN-AIR  WORK     115 

I  think  it  would  be  a  good  thing  to  close  the  church 
that  contains  but  the  handful  and  go  out  into  the 
parks,  into  the  streets,  where  are  the  multitudes  and 
there  preach  to  them  the  Gospel  of  the  grace  of  God. 
This,  then,  is  one  value  of  this  feature  of  Christian 
work — you  will  reach  people  you  would  not  and  could 
not  otherwise  reach. 

2,     It  ivill  enable  you  to  reach  men. 

That  is  the  great  problem  every  minister  of  the  Gos- 
pel has  to  face  to-day — how  to  get  hold  of  the  men. 
Our  audiences  are  composed  very  largely  of  women. 
They  are  in  the  great  majority.  We  are  glad  the 
women  are  there.  We  thank  God  for  the  godly 
women  of  the  churches,  and  we  esteem  it  to  be  a  glori- 
ous privilege  to  preach  to  these  mothers  of  the  nation. 
But  we  want,  and  we  ought  to  have,  men.  When  Jesus 
Christ  called  His  disciples  to  follow  Him  in  His  work 
and  labor  of  love.  He  said:  "From  henceforth  ye  shall 
catch  men.''  We  ought  to  have  as  many  men  as  women 
in  our  audiences  each  Lord's  Day.  This  may  not  be  a 
possibility  in  some  towns  and  states  where  the  census 
shows  many  more  women  than  men ;  but  it  is  possible 
in  this  city.  If  you  cannot  get  hold  of  the  men  in  your 
church,  then  go  out  into  the  streets  and  get  hold  of 
them  there.  You  will  find  your  audiences  to  be  com- 
posed almost  wholly  of  men. 

J.  It  will  give  you  freedom  of  speech  not  always  pos- 
sible in  the  pulpit  of  your  church. 

How  often  we  preachers  have  to  take  the  sharp  cor- 
ners off  some  of  our  sentences  because  such  might 
offend  Mr.  Brown,  or  Mrs.  Smith!  How  aimless  are 
some  of  our  sermons  because  of  that  very  thing!  I 
remember  reading  of  a  plain  but  godly  preacher  being 


ii6     IMPORTANCE    OF   OPEN-AIR  WORK 

asked  to  preach  in  a  fashionable  city  church.  Just 
before  the  hour  for  the  service  one  of  the  church 
people  came  to  him  and  said:  "Brother  Williams,  I 
understand  that  you  preach  against  Christians  playing 
cards.     May  I  suggest  to  you  that  you  refrain  from 

mentioning  that  this  morning,  because  Deacon  G 

indulges  in  the  game  and  has  a  weekly  card-party  at 
his  house.  He  might  be  offended  and  leave  the  church 
if  you  were  to  speak  against  card-playing."  Hardly  a 
minute  had  passed  before  another  one  came  and  asked 
him  not  to  preach  against  the  dance,  and  another  not 
to  preach  against  the  theater.  Feeling  somewhat  at  a 
loss  to  know  what  to  do  and  say,  he  said  to  one  of  these 
men:  "What  would  you  suggest  that  I  preach  about, 
then?"  The  church-member  turned  to  him  and  said, 
"Give  the  Jews  hail  Columbia;  there's  not  one  within 
forty  miles  of  here. ' '  This  story  may  be  true  or  it 
may  not  be.  It  illustrates  my  point,  however,  and 
that  is,  that  we  oftentimes  are  restricted  in  our  speech 
from  the  pulpit.  In  the  open-air  work  you  need  not 
be  so  sparing.  You  can  be  more  pointed  in  your 
preaching.  You  can  say  things  there  that  you  would 
not  dare  say,  and  which  would  not  be  wise  to  say,  from 
the  pulpit  of  your  church.  That  may  be  the  only  time 
you  will  have  the  privilege  and  opportunity  of  speak- 
ing to  or  seeing  those  people,  hence  you  can  say  some 
striking  things  to  them. 

^.     It  will  give  you  good  development  of  the  lungs. 

This  is  not  a  thing  to  be  lightly  esteemed.  More 
than  you  or  I  have  ever  imagined  depends  on  possessing 
good  lungs.  I  feel  no  diffidence  in  saying  that  if  we 
had  more  open-air  preachers  we  would  have  fewer  con- 
sumptive   preachers.      Instead    of    the    weak,    thin, 


-    IMPORTANCE    OF  OPEN-AIR  WORK     117 

squeaky,  collar-button  voice,  characteristic  of  so  many 
preachers  to-day,  and  which  is  an  intolerable  nuisance 
to  listen  to,  you  would  have  good  strong  lungs,  and  a 
voice  rich,  full  and  resonant;  one  which  it  would 
be  a  pleasure  rather  than  a  pain  to  listen  to. 

III.— THE   NATURE   OF   THE    OPEN-AIR 
MEETING 

Under  this  heading  I  will  include  the  Speaker,  the 
Time,  the  Place,  the  Order  of  the  Meeting. 

/.      The  speaker. 

He  ought  to  be  the  best  man  that  can  be  had  for  the 
place,  or  that  the  place  can  afford.  The  Bible  says: 
*' Wisdom  crieth  aloud  in  the  streets."  Mark  that. 
Wise  ones,  not  fools,  cry  aloud  in  the  streets.  If  there 
is  one  place  in  the  world  that  you  need  to  have  a  man 
of  tact,  it  is  in  the  open-air  meeting.  Banish  from  your 
minds  the  false  thought  that  any  kind  of  an  inexperi- 
enced man  will  do.  Such  a  man  will  never  hold  a 
crowd  on  tjie  street-corner.  He  might  possibly  hold 
one  in  a  church  where,  for  propriety's  sake,  they  would 
not  get  up  and  go  out.  The  street-audience,  however, 
is  not  bound  by  any  such  etiquette.  If  you  are  not 
interesting  and  tactful  you  cannot  hold  an  audience. 
You  can  get  an  audience.  Yes! — a  fool  star-gazing  can 
do  that.  It  is  one  thing  to  get  an  audience,  however, 
and  it  is  another  thing  to  hold  it.  It  is  still  another 
and  a  greater  thing  to  hold  it  and  to  impress  it  with  the 
saving  truth  of  the  Gospel  of  Jesus  Christ.  London 
puts  into  her  street-preaching  such  men  as  Spurgeon, 
John  McNeil,  Newman  Hall.  America  can  afford  to  do 
no  less.     Now,  do  not  misunderstand  me  on  this  point 


ii8     IMPORTANCE    OF   OPEN-AIR  WORK 

and  infer  that  I  mean  that  none  but  the  best  preachers 
should  preach  in  the  open  air.  That  is  not  my  point. 
I  am  seeking  to  do  away  with  the  false  ideas  so  prev- 
alent among  mission-workers,  and  that  is,  that  any 
man  will  do  to  speak  in  the  open  air. 

Then  he  must  be  a  patient  man.  He  must  have 
the  patience  of  Job  and  the  hide  of  a  rhinoceros. 
He  must  be  invulnerable  to  attack,  proof  against 
ridicule ;  one  that  shall  be  able  to  return  blessing  for 
cursing,  and  a  smile  for  a  frown.  In  short,  he  must 
be  a  man  who  has  complete  control  of  his  temper. 
He  must  keep  his  equilibrium.  To  lose  that  is  defeat. 
It  means  a  death-blow  to  all  that  he  has  said  in  the 
meeting.  If  anywhere,  here  more,  is  it  true  that,  *'a 
soft  answer  turneth  away  wrath,  but  grievous  words 
stir  up  anger.  * ' 

2.      The  nature  of  the  meeting. 

There  ought  to  be  good  singing.  Song  is  a  drawing 
card.  There  are  very  few  people  in  this  world  who  do 
not  love  singing.  Music  makes  life  worth  the  living. 
I  knew  an  individual  who  did  not  care  for  music  or 
song — he  is  the  only  man  of  that  sort  I  have  ever  met 
— he  was  a  bachelor,  he  always  will  be,  he  ought  to 
be.  He  was  the  sourest  individual  I  ever  met  in  my 
life.  He  was  as  sour  as  a  pickle.  Thank  God,  his 
number  is  not  legion.  The  overwhelming  majority 
of  people  love  singing  and  will  walk  many  a  mile  to 
hear  it,  too.  I  was  walking  down  a  certain  street  the 
other  day  and  I  noticed,  that,  as  person  after  person 
came  to  a  certain  house  each  one  stopped  and,  look- 
ing up  to  a  third-story  window,  seemed  as  if  they  were 
listening  to  something.  I  followed  their  example,  and 
soon  found  myself  with  the  crowd  listening  to  the 


IMPORTANCE    OF  OPEN-AIR  WORK     119 

words  of  a  beautiful  hymn.  Brethren,  music  draws 
people.  Do  not  forget  that.  Remember,  it  is  true 
not  only  for  outdoor  work,  but  also  for  indoor  work. 
It  is  a  good  thing  to  have  an  organ  accompaniment.  I 
prefer  a  cornet  accompaniment^  however.  Its  tone- 
carrying  qualities  are  much  better.  I  preached  on  the 
Boston  Common  a  few  weeks  ago.  They  had  a  cornet 
leading  the  singing.  I  was  able  to  hear  it  at  a  very 
great  distance  from  the  platform.  It  drew  a  great 
many  people.  Mr.  Moody  recognized  this  fact.  I 
remember,  during  the  World's  Fair  year,  when  Mr. 
Moody  was  preaching  in  Forepaugh's  mammoth  tent, 
he  wrote  me  a  letter  asking  me  to  come  and  assist  in 
the  singing  with  my  cornet.  Said  he:  ** Towner  has  a 
good  strong  voice,  but  nothing  but  a  cornet  will  carry 
the  lead  in  such  a  large  tent. ' ' 

Then  the  address — if  you  choose  to  call  it  such — 
should  be  interesting  and  picturesque.  Get  crammed 
full  of  good  illustrations;  not  from  books,  but  from 
life.  If  there  is  anything  that  is  stale  it  is  one  of  those 
illustrations  culled  from  some  cyclopedia  of  illustra- 
tions. The  world  is  full  of  illustrations.  Get  them ! 
Keep  your  eyes  and  ears  open :  observe  the  signs  of  the 
times;  interpret  present-day  events;  get  illustrations 
from  every-day  life,  and  you  will  never  be  a  dull, 
uninteresting  speaker.  That  is  what  our  Lord  did. 
Read  the  sermons  He  delivered  in  the  Temple  and  in 
the  synagogues,  and  you  will  notice  that  they  do  not 
abound  in  illustrations,  as  do  those  delivered  in  the 
open  air.  There  is  a  wonderful  lesson  in  this  thought 
for  the  street-preacher. 

Do  not  be  dogmatic. 

Paul  says:  ''Beware  of  dogs:"     Someone  else  has 


I20     IMPORTANCE   OF   OPEN-AIR   WORK 

added  to  that,  *' Beware  of  dogmatists!"  If  you  have 
any  hairs  to  split,  split  them  before  you  go  out  into 
the  open  air  to  preach  Christ.  Do  not  hit  at  denomi- 
nations, but  preach  Jesus  Christ  crucified  and  risen 
from  the  dead.  I  know  an  open-air  worker  who 
scarcely  ever  holds  a  meeting  but  what  he  pounds  the 
Roman  Catholics  almost  to  death.  Many  Christian 
workers  are  themselves  responsible  for  the  trouble  they 
have  in  open-air  work.  If  a  man  preaches  Christ,  and 
preaches  Him  in  a  loving  spirit  and  tone,  nine  times 
out  of  ten  he  will  get  a  quiet  and  respectful  hearing. 
Do  not  make  long  addresses.  Do  not  preach  long 
sermons.  Rather  be  too  short  than  too  long.  I  think 
ten  minutes  should  be  the  limit  for  one  speaker.  Have 
more  than  one  speaker.  Variety  is  the  spice  of  life. 
This  is  especially  true  in  open-air  work.  Let  your  talk 
be  studied  before  you  go  to  the  meeting.  This  is  not 
at  all  contrary  to  one's  dependence  upon  the  Holy 
Spirit  for  the  message.  This  thing  of  taking  a  pas- 
sage of  Scripture  which  belongs  to  the  Apostles  only, 
and  that  under  certain  peculiar  circumstances,  and 
applying  it  to  ourselves  is  all  wrong.  Some  men  have 
taken  that  passage  in  the  Gospel,  "It  shall  be  given 
you  in  that  hour  what  ye  shall  speak, "  as  a  Scripture 
that  can  be  taken  as  a  ground  for  no  previous  prepara- 
tion for  preaching.  This  is  all  wrong.  If  I  have  been 
so  busy  in  the  service  of  the  Master  that  I  have  not 
had  the  time  to  prepare,  or  if  I  am  called  on  unexpect- 
edly to  speak,  then  I  believe  that  passage  will  be  ful- 
filled in  my  experience ;  then  I  can  open  my  mouth 
wide  and  God  will  fill  it  with  good  words — words  of 
power.  In  cases  where  I  could  have  prepared,  but  was 
too  indolent  to  do  so,  my  mouth  will  be  filled  with 


IMPORTANCE    OF  OPEN-AIR  WORK     121 

wind,  but  surely  not  with  good  words.  Inasmuch, 
then,  as  it  is  harder  to  preach  to  people  in  the  open  air 
than  it  is  in  the  church,  so  much  the  more  is  it  neces- 
sary to  be  well  prepared  for  street-preaching.  Do  not 
refer  to  politics  in  your  address.  When  you  preach 
the  Gospel  preach  it  in  love.  Do  not  engage  in  ham- 
mer-and-tongs  preaching.  Few  men  can  do  that  suc- 
cessfully. Your  audiences  will  be  composed  principally 
of  men  who  have  been  abused  and  cuffed  about  all 
the  day ;  some  who  have  been  idle  for  weeks,  and  are 
going  home  to  a  famished  wife  and  starving  children. 
They  will  need  a  clear,  kind  word  to  cheer  their  hearts 
and  show  them  the  way  everlasting. 

"Tell  them  the  story  of  Jesus, 

Impress  on  their  hearts  every  word; 
Tell  them  the  story  most  precious, 

Sweetest  that  ever  was  heard. 
Tell  how  the  angels  in  chorus 

Sang  as  they  welcomed  His  birth 
Glory  to  God  in  the  highest ! 

Peace  and  good  tidings  on  earth ! 

•*Tell  of  the  cross  where  they  nailed  Him, 

Writhing  in  anguish  and  pain ; 
Tell  of  the  grave  where  they  laid  Him 

Tell  that  He  liveth  again. 
Love  in  that  story  most  precious 

Clearer  than  ever  I  see ; 
Stay,  let  me  weep  while  you  whisper, 

Love  paid  the  ransom  for  me." 

Now,  just  a  word  as  to  time  and  place.  With  regard 
to  the  place,  let  me  say  if  you  want  to  catch  fish  go 
where  the  fish  are.  You  will  find  the  street-corner, 
the  steps  of  some  public  building,  the  ship  wharves, 
the  race-course  on  race  days,  the  parks,  especially  on 


122     IMPORTANCE    OF   OPEN-AIR  WORK 

Sundays — these  you  will  find  to  be  good  places  to  hold 
open-air  meetings.  Many  preachers  are  in  the  habit  of 
holding  an  open-air  meeting  right  on  the  steps  of  their 
churches  just  before  the  evening  service.  This  is  a 
good  plan,  because  you  can  immediately,  on  the  con- 
clusion of  that  meeting,  invite  them  into  the  church  to 
attend  the  evening  service.  This  is  the  method  the 
great  preacher,  Newman  Hall,  of  London,  used.  He 
did  this  for  many  years.  I  think  this  is  a  good  way  to 
get  a  good  audience  on  a  hot  night. 

As  to  the  time.  That  will  depend  altogether  on  cir- 
cumstances. Some  people  like  to  hold  open-air  meet- 
ings in  the  daytime.  That  is  a  good  time.  You  can 
catch  people  then  that  you  would  not  catch  at  any 
other  time.  Others,  and  this  is  especially  true  of  open- 
air  workers  in  England,  prefer  the  nighttime  for  these 
meetings.  They  hold  them  after  sunset.  They  "love 
darkness  rather  than  light"  in  this  respect.  I  think  a 
great  many  of  the  people  they  preach  to  in  these  meet- 
ings do  also.  There  are  some  people  who  would  not 
stop  to  listen  to  an  open-air  address  in  the  daylight. 
They  naturally  shrink  from  it.  Others  do  not  want  to 
be  seen  at  such  a  gathering.  The  Nicodemuses  are 
not  all  dead  yet.  One  of  the  common  recollections  of 
my  earlier  life  in  England  is  that  of  seeing,  on  each 
Sunday  evening,  groups  of  people  at  the  principal  street 
comers  of  the  city  of  Liverpool,  under  the  light  of  the 
torch  lamp,  listening  to  the  story  of  the  Cross.  Men 
who  will  not  patronize  an  open-air  meeting  in  the 
daytime  will  steal  up  under  cover  of  darkness  and 
listen  to  your  story,  and  perhaps  be  touched.  Breth- 
ren, if  the  people  will  not  come  to  the  evening  service, 
then  take  the  evening  service  out  Jo  them. 


IMPORTANCE    OF  OPEN-AIR  WORK     123 


IV.— AND,  FINALLY,  RESULTS  OF  OPEN-AIR 
WORK 

I  speak  now  especially  of  spiritual  results.  In  the 
first  place,  they  cannot  be  counted  in  figures.  I  do  not 
believe  much  in  figures,  anyway. 

"So  you  believe  in  figures.     I  do  not. 
Where  do  all  large  ideas,  all  great  aims, 
All  schemes  that  uplift  humanity,  have  birth? 
In  the  majority?    Ah,  no,  my  friend; 
In  the  minute  minority  of  one. 
In  God,  Heaven,  Man,  one  is  best." 

To  have  the  privilege  of  leading  a  man  like  C.  H. 
Spurgeon  or  D.  L.  Moody  to  Christ  means  to  be  the 
indirect  cause  of  leading  thousands  to  the  foot  of  the 
Cross. 

The  results  of  open-air  work  are,  for  the  most  part, 
never  known  to  the  workers.  The  present  Bishop  of 
Liverpool  was  converted  while  listening  to  a  talk  given 
at  an  open-air  meeting.  He  does  not  know  the  name 
of  the  man  who  spoke  the  word  of  life  that  night,  and 
the  man  who  spoke  the  word  does  not  know  that  it 
touched  the  Bishop's  heart  and  was  the  means  of  lead- 
ing him  to  Christ.  That  man  might  have  gone  home 
that  night  and  said  to  himself:  "Well,  what  is  the  use 
of  preaching  in  the  open  air  anyway?  Nobody  seems 
to  be  converted.  I  see  no  results  of  my  work. ' '  Yet 
how  different  was  the  case !  He  had  that  night  added 
one  more  jewel  to  the  diadem  of  our  Lord.  One  man 
at  least  will  meet  him  in  the  everlasting  habitations, 
and  say:  "It  was  through  your  instrumentality  that  I 
was  led  to  become  a  Christian."  Preaching  in  open-air 
work  is  like  casting  bread  upon  the  waters.     It  is  a 


124     IMPORTANCE    OF  OPEN-AIR  WORK 

work  of  faith.  And  that  man  who  has  not  the  most 
implicit  faith  in  God's  Word — that  it  will  not  return  to 
Him  void — had  better  not  preach  that  word.  Not 
time,  but  eternity  alone  will  reveal  the  true  results  of 
the  work. 

We  are  allowed,  however,  now  and  then  to  see  its 
results.  I  was  at  a  home  missionary  meeting-  the  other 
evening,  and  noticed  that  two  churches  reported  that 
they  had  been  holding  open-air  meetings  right  near 
their  churches,  and  that  in  one  case  sixteen  and  in  the 
other  twenty-three  members  had  been  added  to  the 
church  through  these  meetings,  held  during  the  sum* 
mer  months. 

Brethren,  preach  the  Word  in  faith  and  power. 
That,  and  that  alone,  is  our  duty;  leave  the  results 
with  God.  If  it  is  wise  to  let  you  see  them  He  will  do 
it;  if  you  do  not  see  them  as  you  would  like  to,  still 
plod  on,  always  remembering  that  *'he  that  goeth 
forth  with  weeping,  bearing  precious  seed,  shall  doubt- 
less come  again  with  rejoicing,  bringing  his  sheaves 
with  him." 


THE  USE  OF  TRACTS  AND  OTHER 

LITERATURE  TO  PROMOTE 

A   REVIVAL 

REV.    H.   W.    POPE 

The  indiscriminate  use  of  tracts  by  those  whose  zeal 
exceeds  their  wisdom  has  led  many  good  people  to 
have  a  strong  prejudice  against  them.  The  character 
of  the  tracts  used  has  also  strengthened  this  prejudice. 

Some  tracts  are  so  antiquated  as  to  be  almost  useless 
in  the  present  age.  They  were  good  in  their  day,  but 
their  day  has  gone  by.  Others  are  so  lacking  in  pith, 
point  or  power  as  to  be  of  little  value.  To  use  a 
modern  phrase,  they  do  not  '*get  there."  Others  still 
are  so  offensive  in  style  as  to  defeat  the  very  end  for 
which  they  were  written. 

It  is  foolish,  however,  to  allow  prejudice  against 
poor  tracts  to  blind  us  to  the  value  of  good  ones.  And 
good  ones  can  be  had.  The  choicest  thoughts  of  the 
best  writers  can  now  be  found  in  leaflet  form,  and 
there  is  moral  dynamite  enough  in  some  of  them  to 
shatter  terribly  the  strongholds  of  Satan.  Indeed,  the 
Bible  itself  is  only  a  collection  of  sixty-six  little  tracts 
bound  in  one  volume;  for,  as  someone  has  said,  *'holy 
men  of  God  wrote  small  books  on  great  subjects." 

Making  due  allowance  for  unwisdom  in  the  use  of 
tracts  and  for  the  inferior  quality  of  many  that  are 
used,  it  yet  remains  true  that  a  great  deal  of  good  has 

125 


126  THE   USE   OF  TRACTS 

been  done  by  them.  Many  a  soul  has  been  awakened 
by  one  of  these  little  "leaves  of  healing'*  which  the 
Holy  Spirit  has  blown  into  the  hand  at  just  the  right 
moment. 

A  man  stepped  into  a  street-car  in  New  York,  and 
before  taking  his  seat  gave  to  each  passenger  a  little 
card  bearing  the  inscription:  "Look  to  Jesus  when 
tempted,  when  troubled,  when  dying."  One  of  the 
passengfers  carefully  read  the  card  and  put  it  into  his 
pocket.  As  he  left  the  car  he  said  to  the  giver:  "Sir, 
when  you  gave  me  this  card  I  was  on  my  way  to  the 
ferry,  intending  to  jump  from  the  boat  and  drown 
myself.  The  death  of  my  wife  and  son  had  robbed  me 
of  all  desire  to  live,  but  this  card  has  persuaded  me  to 
begin  life  anew.     Good-day,  and  God  bless  you!" 

Doubtless  many  people  smiled  when  these  cards 
were  distributed,  but  who  will  smile  on  the  day  when 
the  Book  of  Life  is  opened? 

*  Though  scoffers  ask,  '  Where  isyour  gain?  * 
And  mocking  say,  *  Your  work  is  vain,  * 
These  scoffers  die  and  are  forgot, 
Work  done  for  GOD,  it  dieth  not. 

••  Press  on,  press  on,  nor  doubt  nor  fear, 
Through  every  age  these  words  may  cheer; 
Whate'er  may  die  and  be  forgot. 
Work  done  for  GOD,  it  dieth  not." 

We  adore  the  kind  Providence  that  led  Philip  to 
cross  the  path  of  the  Ethiopian  at  the  very  moment 
when  he  was  needed,  but  we  forget  that  the  same 
thing  occurs  every  day.  There  is  no  such  thing  as 
chance  in  God's  world,  and  those  who  seek  to  be  led 
by  the   Spirit  often   find   themselves  messengers   of 


THE  USE  OF  TRACTS  137 

mercy  to  some  weary  soul.  A  lady  once  traveled 
nearly  two  hundred  miles  to  tell  the  writer  personally 
how  a  little  leaflet  that  he  had  given  her  the  year 
before  led  her  to  conversion.  By  the  use  of  a  similar 
card  a  young  man  was  led  to  give  his  heart  to  the 
Lord,  and  through  his  influence  both  his  father  and 
mother  were  brought  into  the  Master's  service.  A 
Christian  worker  in  Nottingham,  England,  tells  the 
following  incident:  *'I  was  called  to  see  a  dying 
woman.  I  found  her  rejoicing  in  Christ,  and  asked 
her  how  she  found  the  Lord.  'Reading  that,'  she 
replied,  handing  me  a  torn  piece  of  paper.  I  looked 
at  it,  and  found  that  it  was  a  part  of  an  American 
newspaper  containing  an  extract  from  one  of  Spur- 
geon's  sermons.  'Where  did  you  find  this  newspaper?' 
I  asked.  She  answered:  'It  was  wrapped  around  a 
parcel  sent  me  from  Australia.  *  Think  of  that ! — a  ser- 
mon preached  in  London,  conveyed  to  America,  then 
to  Australia,  part  of  it  torn  off  for  the  parcel  dis- 
patched to  England,  and  after  all  its  wanderings  giv- 
ing the  message  of  salvation  to  that  woman's  soul! 
Truly  God's  Word  shall  not  return  unto  Him  void." 

PEOPLE  WHO   SHOULD   USE   TRACTS 

There  are  at  least  five  classes  of  people  who  can  use 
tracts  to  advantage. 

First,  ministers.  Some  ministers  make  constant  use 
of  them  in  their  pastoral  work.  They  open  the  way 
for  conversation,  and  oftentimes  they  are  better  than 
words,  for  a  soul  in  exercise  will  sometimes  quarrel 
with  the  one  talking  to  him.  but  could  hardly  quarrel 
with  a  tract.     A  tract  never  gets  out  of  patience,  never 


128  THE   USE   OF  TRACTS 

answers  back,  and  it  sticks  to  what  it  has  said.  In 
many  places  where  a  Christian  could  not  enter,  a  tract 
can  slip  in  and  speak  a  word  for  Christ.  The  sick,  the 
aged  and,  above  all,  the  boys  and  the  girls,  appreciate  a 
leaflet  adapted  to  their  condition.  Other  pastors  use 
tracts  to  supplement  their  preaching.  The  tract 
recalls  the  sermon  and  deepens  the  impression  made. 
A  judicious  use  of  the  right  kind  of  tracts  has  in  some 
cases  been  a  mighty  factor  in  promoting  a  revival. 

HOW  REV.    EDWARD  JUDSON  USES  TRACTS 

During  a  ministerial  experience  of  twenty  years  this 
very  successful  pastor  has  made  constant  use  of 
tracts.  He  seldom  makes  a  pastoral  call  without 
having  in  his  pocket  an  assortment  of  tracts  adapted  to 
almost  every  member  of  the  family,  and  especially  to 
the  children.  In  this  way  he  leaves  behind  him 
definite  souvenirs  of  his  visit  and  seeds  of  truth  which 
will  bring  forth  fruit  later  on.  Then  each  tract 
generally,  has  printed  on  it  the  notice  of  his  services, 
and  acts  as  a  constant  invitation  to  church. 

At  the  close  of  the  Sunday-evening  preaching  serv- 
ice he  has  often  put  some  good  brother  in  the  chair, 
and  while  the  meeting  proceeds  he  goes  down  into  the 
audience  and  gives  to  each  person  a  choice  leaflet,  at 
the  same  time  improving  the  opportunity  to  say  a 
timely  word.  In  this  way  he  comes  into  personal 
touch  with  the  whole  audience,  gives  every  stranger  a 
cordial  welcome  and  leaves  in  his  hand  some  mes- 
sage from  God. 

At  least  once  a  year  he  selects  some  one  tract  that 
has  in  it  the  very  core  of  the  Gospel.     On  this  he 


THE  USE  OF  TRACTS  129 

prints  a  notice  of  the  services  and,  selecting  his 
church  as  a  center,  he  has  this  tract  put  into  the  hands 
of  every  person  living  within  half  a  mile  in  each  direc- 
tion, regardless  of  creed  or  condition.  He  sometimes 
uses  ten  thousand  tracts  at  one  distribution  a^d  finds 
it  very  fruitful  in  results. 

A  second  class  is  business  men.  Some  business  men 
use  them  constantly,  passing  them  out  when  the  right 
person  appears,  or  inclosing  them  in  packages  of 
goods.  Ticket  agents  give  them  out  with  tickets. 
One  agent  says  that  twenty  persons  wrote  to  him  that 
they  had  been  converted  by  the  tracts  he  had  given 
them.  I  remember  a  business  man  who  said  to  me: 
**1  am  a  timid  man  and  cannot  speak  in  meeting,  but 
if  you  will  buy  some  good  literature  I  will  pay  for  it 
and  enclose  it  with  our  packages  of  goods.  * '  He  dealt 
largely  with  fishing- vessels,  and  thus  he  *'cast  his 
bread  upon  the  waters. ' '  Recently  I  read  of  a  drum- 
mer who  stopped  in  St.  Louis  and  called  on  a  merchant 
to  sell  him  some  diamonds.  The  merchant  said:  '*I  do 
not  need  anymore  diamonds."  "Never  mind,"  said 
the  drummer,  *'I  am  going  to  show  you  my  goods,  if 
you  have  no  objections."  He  opened  his  case,  and 
exhibited  his  wares  so  attractively  that  in  a  short  time 
he  sold  the  man  a  bill  of  goods  in  spite  of  himself. 
Then  closing  up  his  samples,  he  said:  **Now  I  have 
something  to  show  you  better  than  all  these.  Here  is 
something  very  choice ;  it  is  the  pearl  of  great  price. '  * 
And  pulling  out  a  little  pocket  Bible,  he  said:  **Are 
you  a  Christian,  my  friend?"  And  then  for  a  few 
moments  he  talked  Jesus  Christ  to  him  in  the  same 
earnest  way  he  had  talked  of  diamonds  before.  Mix 
religion  with  your  business.     Let  the  two  go  hand  in 


ISO  THE   USE   OF  TRACTS 

hand.  I  believe  in  doing  as  did  the  blacksmith  in 
southern  Vermont,  who,  after  he  was  converted,  was 
asked  to  shoe  a  horse  on  Sunday.  *'No,  sir!"  said  he. 
*'I  am  a  Christian  now,  and  I  do  not  work  on  Sunday.*' 
The  man  met  him  with  an  oath,  but  he  replied:  **Hold 
on,  friend !  you  can't  swear  in  this  place.  I  want  you  to 
understand  that  this  is  a  Gospel  shop.  *  *  So  should  we 
maintain  a  Christian  atmosphere  in  every  place  which 
we  control,  and  not  allow  anything  to  be  said  or  done 
there  which  would  displease  our  Master. 

There  is  no  better  way  of  rebuking  profanity  than 
by  the  use  of  little  cards  or  leaflets  prepared  for  this 
purpose.     Here  is  one  man's  testimony: 

"The  other  evening  I  arrived  at  S ,  and  walked 

over  to  the  hotel.  I  entered,  and,  after  checking  my 
things,  started  to  mail  a  letter,  previous  to  going  in  to 
supper.  Between  the  coatroom  and  the  mailbox 
stood  three  traveling-men.  Two  of  the  number 
swore,  as  they  talked,  imagining  doubtless  that  they 
were  emphasizing  their  point  more  forcibly. 

*' Overhearing  them,  and  praying  for  guidance,  I 
took  from  my  pocket  some  attractive  cards,  with  differ- 
ent colored  backs,  which  had  upon  the  reverse  side, 
*Why  do  you  swear?'  while  underneath  were  four 
Scripture  texts  against  swearing.  I  walked  toward 
the  group  and,  without  uttering  a  word,  threw  the 
cards  out  between  my  hands,  with  the  backs  up,  and 
offered  them  to  the  first  drummer,  a  little  fellow  who 
had  sworn  the  most.  He  looked  at  me  curiously, 
reached  out  his  hand  and  drew  a  card.  I  immediately 
turned  to  the  other  man  who  had  sworn,  and  offered 
him  the  cards,  and  he  drew  one.  Then,  without  pay- 
ing any  attention  to  the  third  man,  or  even  looking  at 


THE  USB  OP  TRACTS  131 

him,  I  mailed  my  letter  and  started  for  the  dining- 
room,  without  having  all  this  time  spoken  a  word. 
Turning  the  corner,  I  heard  a  shout  of  laughter  from 
the  drummer  who  had  not  sworn,  and  knew  my  shot 
had  taken  effect. 

**I  was  just  comfortably  seated  at  the  table,  when 
the  little  drummer  came  to  the  dining-room  door  and, 
looking  around,  spied  me  at  the  table.  He  walked 
right  in  and,  coming  up  to  where  I  sat,  said:  *Say,  that 
is  the  best  rebuke  I  ever  had  in  my  life ;  and  I  want  to 
say  I'm  sorry  I  spoke  as  I  did  and  that  I  had  no  busi- 
ness to  do  so.     Could  I  get  two  or  three  of  those  cards?* 

**  *Yes,  but  be  sure  before  you  give  them  to  anyone 
that  you  set  the  example  yourself  by  not  swearing 
again. ' 

*** All  right,  I  will  do  so.' 

**So  I  gave  him  the  cards  and  he  left.  The  follow- 
ing Saturday  I  found  my  man  in  Albany  in  a  large 
retail  grocery  store.  The  minute  he  saw  me  he  pulled 
out  one  of  the  cards,  showed  it  to  the  buyer  of  the 
department,  told  him  his  experience  and  read  the 
upper  text:  *Thou  shalt  not  take  the  name  of  the  Lord 
thy  God  in  vain,  for  the  Lord  will  not  hold  him  guilt- 
less that  taketh  his  name  in  vain. '  God  not  only  used 
His  Word,  as  printed  upon  the  cards,  to  rebuke  this 
man,  but  also  used  him  as  an  instrument  in  His  hands 
all  over  the  country  in  passing  on  the  message  to  others.  " 

I  know  of  many  business  men  who  use  tracts  con- 
stantly, passing  them  out  with  a  pleasant  word  to  their 
customers,  or  putting  them  in  their  correspondence. 
One  man  who  did  the  largest  business  of  any  firm  in 
his  line  between  New  York  and  Chicago,  always  had 
one-half  of  his  private  desk  devoted  to  a  choice  assort- 


132  THE  USE   OF   TRACTS 

ment  of  tracts.  A  Chicago  business  man  had  a  thou- 
sand leaflets  printed  and  scattered  them  among  his 
friends.  Some  time  afterwards  he  received  a  letter 
from  another  city  asking  him  to  plan  to  spend  a  Sun- 
day there  when  he  next  passed  through.  He  did  so, 
and  was  driven  to  a  new  church  in  the  outskirts  of  the 
city.  *'What  do  you  think  of  that?"  asked  his  host. 
**Why,  that  is  a  very  pretty  church,  I  think,  but  what 
of  it?"  *'That  church  is  the  result  of  a  tract  which 
you  sent  me  some  time  ago.  I  read  it  and  my  soul 
was  so  aroused  by  it  that  I  read  it  in  the  Endeavor 
Society,  and  it  had  the  same  effect  upon  them.  As  a 
result  we  looked  around  to  see  what  we  could  do  for 
the  Master,  and  finally  started  a  mission  in  an  empty 
store  which  has  grown  into  this  church. ' ' 

A  business  man  in  Brooklyn  saw  a  tract  lying  on  his 
desk  and,  without  much  thought,  put  it  into  a  letter 
and  mailed  it.  No  sooner  had  he  done  this  than  the 
devil  whispered  to  him:  *'You  have  made  a  fool  of 
yourself.  What  do  you  suppose  that  man  will  think  of 
you  to  put  a  religious  tract  in  a  business  letter?"  For 
a  moment  he  was  ashamed  and  he  turned  to  the  Lord, 
saying,  "Was  it  a  mistake?"  Back  came  the  answer: 
*'Why  would  it  not  be  a  good  idea  to  put  a  tract  in 
every  letter  you  send?"  "Lord,  I  will,"  was  the 
reply.  This  was  in  1882,  and  a  few  days  ago  the  man 
told  me  that  to  the  best  of  his  knowledge  he  had  never 
sent  out  but  one  letter  since  without  enclosing  some 
kind  of  Christian  literature,  and  in  that  instance  he 
was  ordering  some  goods  and  forgot  to  put  one  in,  and 
the  goods  proved  to  be  the  worst  lot  he  ever  received — 
"Presumably,"  he  said,  "because  I  did  not  enclose  a 
tract." 


THE   USE  OF  TRACTS  133 

A  third  class  who  can  use  tracts  profitably  is  teach- 
ers. The  writer  owes  more  to  a  district  schoolteacher 
than  to  all  the  professors  he  ever  met  in  college  or 
seminary.  Dr.  Channing  used  to  say:  "There  is  no 
office  higher  than  that  of  a  teacher  of  youth,  for  there 
is  nothing  on  earth  so  precious  as  the  mind,  soul  and 
character  of  a  child."  Professor  Tyndall  said:  "If 
there  is  one  profession  of  paramount  importance,  I 
believe  it  to  be  that  of  the  schoolmaster." 

Granted  that  the  special  work  for  which  teachers  are 
employed  is  to  educate  the  mind ;  still,  is  it  not  their 
duty  also  to  lead  them  into  the  realms  of  spiritual 
knowledge  and,  above  all,  to  introduce  them  to  the 
Great  Teacher,  who  said:  "Take  my  yoke  upon  you, 
and  learn  of  me  .  .  .  and  ye  shall  find  rest  unto  your 
souls. ' '  We  all  know  that  young  people  do  not  like  to 
have  religion  thrust  upon  them  continually,  but  they 
do,  without  exception,  admire  a  manly  Christian  char- 
acter, and  they  appreciate  a  loving  interest  in  their 
welfare  and  an  occasional  earnest  word  upon  the  subject. 

Those  who  cannot  talk  freely  with  their  pupils  can, 
at  least,  put  into  their  hands  the  wise  words  of  others ; 
and  who  can  estimate  the  good  that  would  be  done  by 
occasionally  giving  to  each  pupil  a  choice  leaflet  on 
some  vital  subject?  Old-fashioned  tracts  will  not  do 
for  boys.  They  need  something  down  to  date,  some- 
thing which  sets  forth  in  a  terse  and  manly  way  the 
attractions  of  the  Christian  life  and  the  dangers  which 
beset  the  pathway  of  youth. 

Another  class  of  people  who  ought  to  use  tracts  is 
housekeepers.  Have  them  on  the  parlor  table,  so  that 
callers  may  read  them  while  waiting.  There  is  time 
enough  for  a  person  to  be  converted  while  a  lady  is 


134  THE   USE   OF   TRACTS 

finishing  her  toilet ;  and  time  enough  to  backslide,  too, 
before  some  people  get  down  to  the  parlor.  Place 
them  in  your  guest-chamber,  so  that  your  friends  will 
have  something  to  ti^rn  their  thoughts  toward  the 
Blessed  One.  White  Cross  tracts  will  do  your  boys 
and  girls  no  harm,  and  even  Bridget  may  absorb  a 
good  deal  of  the  Gospel  through  an  innocent  little 
leaflet.  Give  them  to  the  butcher  and  marketman, 
always  accompanied  with  a  kind  word  and  a  prayer, 
and  God  will  not  fail  to  bless  them. 

The  last  class  which  I  wish  to  speak  of  embraces  all 
who  were  not  included  in  the  other  four  classes. 
Tract  work  is  one  which  everybody  can  engage  in. 
Here  is  something  which  all  can  do,  old  and  young, 
rich  and  poor.  It  is  a  business  that  does  not  require 
much  time  or  capital,  but  it  does  require  tact  and 
prayerfulness  and  an  earnest  desire  to  be  used  of 
God.  Timid  people  can  in  this  way  **hold  forth  the 
word  of  life.  *  * 

How  many  people  are  mourning  because  they  **do 
not  know  what  to  say" — but  here  is  a  way  by  which 
they  always  have  something  to  say.  Some  who  have 
begun  very  timidly  to  engage  in  this  silent  evangeliza- 
tion have  become  not  only  brave,  but  enthusiastic,  and 
by  their  efforts  have  enlisted  many  others  in  the  same 
work. 

HOW  TO  USE   LEAFLETS 

That  depends  upon  the  person  you  are  addressing. 
First  of  all,  you  must  know  what  you  are  using  and 
not  be  giving  tracts  on  swearing  to  Sunday  School 
teachers  or  *' Growing  Old  Gracefully"  to  little  chil- 
dren.    If  you  meet  an  acquaintance  on  the  street  you 


THE   USE   OF  TRACTS  135 

can  say  to  him,  in  a  playful  way,  as  you  pass  a 
leaflet  to  him,  ''Don't  say  that  I  never  gave  you  any- 
thing."  Or  you  can  say:  "I  have  something  here  that 
I  think  you  will  be  interested  in.  Will  you  read  it  if 
I  give  it  to  you?"  To  a  stranger  on  the  cars  who  has 
no  newspaper:  "Would  you  like  something  to  read?'* 
Then  it  is  an  easy  matter  for  you  to  inquire:  *'What  do 
you  think  of  it?"  Sometimes  you  can  interest  people 
in  a  leaflet  by  telling  them  some  fact  concerning  it ;  as, 
for  instance,  you  can  say  of  Dr.  Chickering's  "What  la 
It  to  Believe  on  Christ?"  "Here  is  a  little  book  which 
has  a  remarkable  record.  The  author  before  he  died 
had  the  names  of  over  seventeen  hundred  people  who 
had  written  him  or  told  him  personally  that  they 
attributed  their  conversion  to  this  tract." 

Another  way  is  to  say:  "Here  is  a  little  book  that 
has  helped  me.  Perhaps  you  would  enjoy  it. "  Leave 
them  in  the  cars  when  you  travel,  or  on  the  parlor 
table  in  the  hotel.  Give  one  to  the  waiter.  He  will 
appreciate  it  and  read  it  especially  if  you  have  pre- 
viously shown  your  interest  in  him  in  some  substantial 
way.  Never  use  cheap-looking  tracts.  They  belittle 
the  cause  you  wish  to  help. 

Never  be  ashamed  of  the  work  you  are  doing,  but 
act  as  if  you  were  conferring  a  favor  upon  people, 
which  is  really  true  if  you  are  sowing  good  seed  in  a 
Christian  spirit. 

I  am  convinced  that  churches  and  Christian  workers 
could  greatly  increase  their  influence  by  a  more 
liberal  use  of  printer's  ink.  The  methods  of  using 
tracts  are  innumerable.  Let  each  member  be  encour- 
aged to  keep  on  hand  a  choice  supply  to  inclose  in  his 
letters.    After  a  missionary  sermon,  let  there  be  given 


136  THE   USE   OF   TRACTS 

to  each  person  as  he  passes  out  a  good  tract  bearing 
upon  benevolence  or  missions.  Tracts  on  temperance 
or  narcotics  may  be  wisely  distributed  in  the  Sunday 
School.  Visit  the  jail,  almshouse  or  hospital,  and  give 
to  each  inmate  an  occasion  to  thank  God  on  your 
behalf.  It  is  said  that  there  is  a  gentleman  in  France 
who  watches  the  obituary  column  in  the  morning 
papers  and  sends  to  the  bereaved  ones  little  tracts 
adapted  to  their  situation.  Some  railroad  companies 
will  allow  a  box  to  be  kept  in  the  station  filled  with 
good  literature  for  the  use  of  waiting  passengers. 
Occasionally  select  a  good  tract  and,  printing  upon  it 
the  name  of  your  church,  Sunday  School  or  Endeavor 
Society,  with  an  invitation  to  attend  the  services,  can- 
vass the  whole  neighborhood,  leaving  a  tract  at  every 
house.  Have  a  rubber  stamp  for  this  purpose. 
Accompany  each  tract  with  a  silent  prayer  that  God's 
blessing  may  attend  it.  Make  yourself  familiar  with 
what  you  distribute  in  order  that  you  may  bestow 
them  wisely,  and  remember  that  if  you  trust  Him  the 
Holy  Spirit  will  guide  you  in  every  detail  of  this  work. 
Some  tracts  will  doubtless  be  wasted,  just  as  many  a 
sermon  fails  to  reach  the  hearts  of  careless  hearers ; 
but  we  are  encouraged  to  **sow  beside  all  waters,"  and 
we  never  know  on  what  soil  the  good  seed  may  fall. 
One  thing  we  do  know,  however,  and  that  is  that  Jesus 
will  appreciate  the  effort,  for  He  hath  said:  "Inasmuch 
as  ye  have  done  it  unto  one  of  the  least  of  these,  my 
brethren,  ye  have  done  it  unto  me. ' ' 

USEFUL   IN   OPENING   CONVERSATION 

It  is  not  an  easy  matter  to  open  conversation  on  the 
subject  of  religion,  especially  with  a  stranger,  but  a 


THE   USE   OF   TRACTS  137 

leaflet  will  often  open  the  way  very  happily.  I  sat 
down  beside  a  stranger  in  a  railroad  car.  He  called 
my  attention  to  a  fire  which  had  occurred  the  night 
before,  and  then  went  on  to  speak  of  his  own  experi- 
ence in  having  a  factory  burned  and  the  difficulty 
which  he  had  in  collecting  his  insurance.  When  he 
had  finished  talking  I  handed  him  a  card  saying:  "If 
you  insure  in  that  company  you  never  have  any  trouble 
in  securing  your  money."  The  card  contained  the 
question:  "Are  you  Insured  in  the  Ev^erlasting  Life 
Insurance  Company?"  with  an  attractive  description 
of  its  advantages.  After  he  had  read  it  I  asked  him  if 
he  had  ever  taken  a  policy  in  that  company.  He  said: 
"No,  I  never  did,  and  it  is  a  strange  thing  that  I 
haven't,  too.  My  family  are  all  Christians,  and  if  any 
man  ever  tried  hard  to  get  hold  of  it  I  am  the  man. 
Perhaps  you  can  tell  me  wherein  I  failed  to  grasp  it." 
The  result  was  a  delightful  talk  on  how  to  become  a 
Christian  and,  as  he  left  me,  he  thanked  me  warmly  for 
the  help  I  had  given  him.  Think  of  it!  two  entire 
strangers  sit  down  together  and,  in  five  minutes'  time, 
each  is  laying  bare  his  heart  to  the  other  on  the  most 
sacred  of  all  subjects.  Without  that  leaflet  to  open  the 
way,  it  would  have  been  well-nigh  impossible. 


USEFUL  TO   CLOSE   CONVERSATION 

Often  a  conversation  is  interrupted  by  the  entrance 
of  a  third  party,  or  the  lack  of  time,  and  one  has  to 
leave  before  he  has  finished  what  he  had  to  say.  In 
such  cases  an  appropriate  tract  will  carry  on  the  con- 
versation and  perhaps  lead  the  soul  to  Christ.     Riding 


X38  THE  USE   OP  TRACTS 

on  a  train,  I  fell  into  conversation  with  a  stranger. 
He  said  that  he  was  a  skeptic  and  was  puzzled  to  know 
which  of  the  many  different  religions  was  the  best. 
*'The  Mohammedans  say  their  prophet  is  the  one  to 
follow,  and  the  Chinese  have  another,  and  the  Mor- 
mons another.  I  suppose  you  would  say  that  Jesus 
Christ  is  the  one  to  worship. "  I  said:  **My  friend,  did 
you  ever  embrace  any  of  these  religions?"  **No,  I 
never  did,  '  he  replied.  **  Don't  you  think  it  would  be 
better  for  you  if  you  would?  If  you  think  Moham- 
medanism is  the  true  religion,  give  your  heart  to 
Mohammed ;  and  if  you  can  get  salvation  from  it,  well 
and  good.  If  that  fails,  try  Buddhism,  or  become  a 
Mormon,  and  if  these  do  not  satisfy,  then  become  a 
Christian."  There  is  a  fable  which  tells  of  a  horse 
which  stood  between  two  stacks  of  hay,  each  of  which 
was  so  fragrant  that  he  could  not  tell  which  to  bite 
from,  and  so  he  stood  there  and  starved  to  death 
because  he  could  not  decide  which  to  choose.  This 
man  was  in  precisely  the  same  position  on  the  subject 
of  religion,  and  I  tried  to  make  him  see  it  and  realize 
that  he  was  starving  his  soul  because  he  could  not 
decide  which  to  choose.  As  I  urged  him  to  embrace 
some  religion,  and  that,  too,  without  delay,  he  said: 
**My  friend,  there  is  a  good  deal  of  truth  in  what  you 
say.  I  am  sorry  I  have  to  leave  you  for  this  is  my 
station.  I  hope  we  shall  meet  again."  I  put  into  his 
hand  Dr.  Chickering's  tract,  "What  Is  It  to  Believe  on 
Christ,"  and  Mr.  Torrey's  "Life  Card,"  both  of  which 
make  the  way  of  life  plain  to  any  honest  inquirer. 
The  man  had  to  leave  me  just  as  he  was  becoming 
interested,  but  the  tracts  enabled  me  to  carry  on  the 
conversation  even  after  he  had  left  me.     On  the  same 


THE   USE   OF   TRACTS  139 

journey  I  had  an  opportunity  to  talk  with  two  other 
unsaved  men  without  leaving  my  seat  and,  in  each 
instance,  just  as  they  became  really  interested,  they 
had  to  leave  the  train.  In  both  cases,  however,  I  gave 
them  an  appropriate  leaflet  which  would  preach  to  them 
long  after  I  had  to  stop. 


USEFUL   TO   COUNTERACT   INFIDELITY 

There  is  much  infidel  literature  in  circulation  among 
the  factory  population,  and  thousands  of  pernicious 
books  and  pamphlets  are  scattered  among  the  schools 
of  the  land.  Unless  Christians  do  something  to  coun- 
teract this  influence  we  are  allowing  the  devil  a  very 
g^eat  advantage.  In  some  cases  the  young  people's 
societies  have  done  excellent  work  in  the  spread  of 
good  literature. 

How  tracts  can  be  used  to  counteract  error  was  well 
illustrated  in  Portland.  Col.  Robert  Ingersoll  came 
there  and  lectured,  it  is  said,  to  fifteen  hundred  people. 
Christians  could  not  hinder  it,  but  they  could  and  did 
do  something  to  counteract  his  influence.  At  the  sug- 
gestion of  one  of  the  ministers,  eighteen  Christian 
Endeavorers  stood  at  the  door  of  the  hall  on  the  night 
of  the  lecture  and  gave  to  each  person  as  they  came 
out  a  copy  of  Rev.  H.  L.  Hasting's  address,  **Will  the 
Old  Book  Stand?"  A  more  powerful  refutation  of 
Ingersoll's  talk  could  hardly  be  found,  and  his  attacks 
upon  the  Bible  would  make  them  all  the  more  eager  to 
see  what  could  be  said  upon  the  other  side.  Wherever 
any  apostle  of  infidelity  appears,  let  Christian  people 
answer  his  arguments  in  the  same  effective  way. 


I40  THE   USE  OF  TRACTS 


USEFUL   IN   PROMOTING  A   REVIVAL 

The  first  thing  to  do  in  promoting  a  revival  is  to 
awaken  the  spirit  of  prayer  and  expectation,  and  to 
set  Christians  talking  about  Jesus  Christ  and  the  Great 
Salvation.  Suppose  a  minister,  or,  better  still,  all  the 
ministers  in  the  place,  preach  on  a  given  Sunday  on 
the  same  subject,  ** Prayer,**  and  at  the  close  of  the 
sermon  let  each  minister  say  to  his  people  that  as  they 
go  out  of  the  house  they  will  receive  at  the  door  a 
choice  leaflet  on  the  theme  of  the  sermon.  Let  him 
urge  them  to  read  it  and  pass  it  on  to  someone  else. 
If  they  wish  more  of  the  same  kind  they  can  obtain 
them  of  such  a  person.  In  this  way  the  whole  town 
will  be  led  to  talk  and  think  about  the  same  subject  all 
the  week.  The  next  Sunday  let  the  ministers  all 
preach  on  Repentance  or  Conversion  or  Sin  or  the 
Holy  Spirit  and  follow  the  sermon  with  a  good  tract 
on  the  same  subject.  In  a  little  while  scores  of  people 
will  be  found  using  tracts  to  supplement  their  conver- 
sation, and  in  their  correspondence,  and  a  deeper  in- 
terest in  spiritual  work  will  be  awakened. 

RESULTS    OF   TRACT   WORK 

While  Barnum's  circus  was  in  Brooklyn  a  member  of 
the  troupe  came  into  the  prayer  meeting  of  the  Grace 
Baptist  Church.  He  paid  very  close  attention  and,  at 
the  close  of  a  hymn,  he  arose  and  said,  with  a  voice 
full  of  emotion:  *'I  have  never  heard  that  hymn  since 
I  heard  it  in  Sunday  School  the  day  before  I  ran  away 
with  the  circus.  I  was  then  nine  years  old ;  I  am  now 
fifty.     During  all  these  years  I  have  led  a  life  of  sin, 


THE   USE   OF   TRACTS  141 

and  the  only  thing  I  had  to  remind  me  of  my  innocent 
childhood  was  a  little  tract  given  me  in  Sunday  School 
the  day  before  I  ran  away.  I  was  led  to  come  here 
to-night  by  seeing  the  light  in  the  windows,  and  I  want 
you  to  pray  that  if  there  is  any  mercy  for  such  a  sinner 
as  I  am  the  Lord  Jesus  may  save  me."  He  went 
home  that  night  rejoicing  in  a  Savior.  He  began  at 
once  to  work  among  the  members  of  his  troupe,  giv- 
ing them  tracts  and  inviting  them  to  come  to  church, 
and  of  those  who  came  one  professed  to  be  saved,  and 
another,  of  his  own  accord,  asked  the  prayers  of  God's 
people.  A  good  report  has  since  been  heard  from  the 
first  man,  who,  through  all  those  forty-one  years'  had 
treasured  that  little  souvenir  of  his  Sunday  School  days. 

A  pastor  gave  a  tract  to  a  young  man  who  came  tc 
call  on  him.  He  was  converted,  and  then  his  fathei 
and  mother,  and  all  three  became  active  workers  in 
the  cause  of  Christ. 

A  servant  girl  in  New  York  placed  a  searching  leaflet 
on  the  dressing-case  of  her  mistress.  Her  attention 
was  arrested,  her  heart  touched  and,  though  a  woman 
of  wealth  and  a  leader  in  fashionable  society,  she 
became  a  humble  Christian  and  devoted  her  splendid 
talents  to  the  Lord,  ever  after  giving  much  of  her  time 
to  the  distribution  of  tracts. 

I  know  of  many  instances,  and  I  think  it  is  safe  to 
say  that  more  than  two-thirds  of  those  who  publish 
tracts  have  been  led  to  engage  in  this  work  through 
some  personal  benefit  received  from  tracts  themselves. 

A  lady  in  Virginia  writes  us  that  in  reading  the 
King's  Business  she  came  upon  an  article  on  '*The 
Use  of  Tracts,"  and  sent  at  once  for  the  appended  list. 
At  first  she  gave  them  out  very  timidly,  but  so  eager 


i4a  THE   USE  OF   TRACTS 

were  the  people  for  them  that  now  she  can  hardly  keep 
any  by  her.  "Last  night  I  was  talking  with  a  poor 
wretched  man  who  has  hitherto  evaded  me,  but  now 
manifests  a  deep  interest  in  his  salvation,  and,  on 
inquiring  the  reason  of  the  change,  found  that  he  had 
been  reading  some  tracts  which  I  gave  to  a  neighbor 
of  his  some  months  ago. 

**Last  fall  I  sent  out  two  hundred  tracts  to  the 
employes  on  the  Pulaski  Division  of  the  Norfolk  & 
Western  R.  R.  Returning  here  in  May,  I  was  told  by 
an  engineer  that  the  tracts  had  been  read  and  passed 
from  hand  to  hand  until  literally  worn  out,  and  there 
had  been  at  least  ten  conversions  among  the  trainmen. 

**I  am  but  a  beginner  in  this  work,  with  no  training, 
and  no  methods,  but  I  go  on  my  knees  for  all  I  need 
to  know,  and  ask  God  for  opportunities,  and  for  the 
wisdom  and  power  of  the  Holy  Ghost.  All  the  time 
and  everywhere  I  go  I  find  the  way  opening  till,  in 
view  of  the  great  need  of  workers,  I  am  constrained  to 
cry  out:  'Lord,  send  forth  more  laborers  into  the  har- 
vest. *  All  my  work  is  by  littles,  so  little  that  I  can- 
not tell  much  about  it,  and  yet  I  do  know  of  quite  a 
number  who  have  been  converted.  My  eyesight  is  so 
poor  that  I  seldom  can  write  a  letter,  and  read  no  book 
but  the  Bible,  but  I  pen  a  few  words  on  the  tracts 
which  are  then  sent  forth  on  the  wings  of  prayer. ' '  If 
this  feeble  woman,  an  invalid  in  fact,  can  accomplish 
so  much  for  Christ  in  this  way,  what  could  others  do 
who  have  more  strength? 

A  little  boy  belonging  to  a  Sunday  School  in  Phila- 
delphia was  telling  a  friend  of  an  expected  visit  into 
the  country  and  what  he  was  going  to  do  there.  **And 
what  do  you  expect  to  do  for  your  heavenly  Father?" 


THE  USE  OF  TRACTS  143 

his  friend  asked.  **Why,  nothing,"  said  the  boy; 
**what  can  such  a  boy  as  I  do  for  God?"  *'You  can 
do  much,"  was  the  reply.  "Now,  I  will  give  you  a 
bundle  of  tracts  to  take  with  you,  and  you  can  dis- 
tribute them  among  your  friends."  He  had  not  been 
in  the  country  many  days  when  a  boy  in  the  neighbor- 
hood asked  him  to  help  drive  his  cows  home.  Here 
was  his  chance  to  use  the  tracts ;  so,  taking  out  one  of 
his  silent  preachers,  he  gave  it  to  him,  saying:  *' Here's 
something  for  you." 

**What  is  it?"  looking  it  over.   **What  is  it?" 

**It  is  something  good  to  read,"  said  the  lad. 

*'But  I  cannot  read.  Never  mind,  I'll  take  it  home; 
they  can  read  it  there. " 

Some  days  after,  the  country  boy  met  his  city  friend. 
*'Well,"  said  he,  "that  little  book  you  gave  me  made  a 
great  stir  at  our  house,  I  tell  you. ' ' 

"Did  it,  though?     How  do  you  mean?" 

"Why,"  he  replied,  "they  read  the  tract,  and  then 
they  read  the  Bible,  and  when  Sunday  came  they 
made  me  get  out  the  old  carriage  and  clean  it  up,  and 
then  we  all  got  in  that  could,  and  the  rest  got  on 
before  and  behind,  and  rode  off  to  church.  That 
tract's  done  great  things,  I  tell  you." 

Subsequently  it  was  ascertained  that  this  one  tract 
was  the  means  of  converting  several  souls. 


PERSONAL  WORK 

R.    A.    TORREY 

By  personal  work  we  mean  hand-to-hand  dealing 
with  individual  men,  women  and  children.  This  is  the 
most  effective  method  of  winning  lost  souls.  The 
Apostle  Peter  was  brought  to  Jesus  by  the  hand-to- 
hand  work  of  his  brother  Andrew.  Andrew  first 
found  Christ  himself,  then  he  went  to  Peter  quietly 
and  told  him  of  his  great  find,  and  thus  he  led  Peter  to 
the  Savior  he  himself  had  found.  I  do  not  know  that 
Andrew  ever  preached  a  sermon ;  if  he  did  it  is  not 
recorded;  but  he  did  a  great  day's  work  when  he  led 
his  brother  Peter  to  Jesus.  Peter  preached  a  sermon 
that  led  to  the  conversion  of  3,000  people,  but  where 
would  Peter's  great  sermon  have  been  if  Andrew  had 
not  first  led  him  to  Christ  by  quiet  personal  work? 
Mr.  Kimball,  the  Boston  business  man,  led  D.  L. 
Moody,  the  young  Boston  shoe  clerk,  to  the  Savior. 
Where  would  all  Mr.  Moody's  wonderful  work  for 
Christ  have  been  if  he  himself  had  not  been  led  to  the 
Savior  by  the  faithful  personal  work  of  his  Sunday 
School  teacher?  I  believe  in  preaching.  It  is  a  great 
privilege  to  preach  the  Gospel,  but  this  world  can  be 
reached  and  evangelized  far  more  quickly  and  thor- 
oughly by  personal  work  than  by  public  preaching. 
Indeed,  it  can  only  be  reached  and  evangelized  by  per- 
sonal work.  When  the  whole  church  of  Jesus  Christ 
shall  rouse  to  its  responsibility  and  privilege  in  this 
matter,  and  every  individual  Christian  become  a  per- 

145 


146  PERSONAL   WORK 

sonal  worker,  the  evangelization  of  the  world  will  be 
close  at  hand.  When  the  membership  of  any  local 
church  shall  rouse  to  its  responsibility  and  privilege  in 
this  matter,  and  each  member  become  a  personal 
worker  in  the  power  of  the  Holy  Spirit,  a  great  revival 
will  be  close  at  hand  for  the  community  in  which  that 
church  is  located.  Personal  work  is  a  work  that  wins 
but  little  applause  from  men,  but  it  accomplishes  great 
things  for  God. 

There  are  many  who  think  personal  work  beneath 
their  dignity  and  their  gifts.  A  blind  woman  once 
came  to  me  and  said,  **Do  you  think  that  my  blindness 
will  hinder  me  from  working  for  the  Master?"  **Not 
at  all ;  it  may  be  a  great  help  to  you,  for  others  seeing 
your  blindness  will  come  and  speak  to  you,  and  then 
you  will  have  an  opportunity  of  giving  your  testimony 
for  Christ,  and  of  leading  them  to  the  Savior."  **0h, 
that  is  not  what  I  want,"  she  replied.  *'It  seems  to 
me  a  waste  of  time  when  one  might  be  speaking  to  five 
or  six  hundred  at  once,  just  to  be  speaking  to  an  indi- 
vidual." I  answered  that  the  Lord  and  Savior  Jesus 
Christ  was  able  to  speak  to  more  than  five  thousand  at 
once,  and  yet  He  never  thought  personal  work  beneath 
His  dignity  or  His  gifts.  Indeed,  it  was  the  work  the 
Savior  loved  to  do.  We  have  more  instances  of  our 
Savior's  personal  work  recorded  in  the  Gospels  than 
of  His  preaching.  The  one  who  is  above  personal 
work  is  above  his  Master. 

I.     ITS  ADVANTAGES 

Let  us  look  at  the  advantages  of  personal  work. 

I.  All  can  do  it.  In  an  average  congregation  there 
are  not  more  than  four  or  five  who  can  preach  to  edi- 
fication.     It  would  be  a  great  pity,  too,  should  all 


PERSONAL  WORK  147 

attempt  to  become  preachers;  it  would  be  a  great 
blessing  if  all  would  become  personal  workers.  Any 
child  of  God  can  do  personal  work,  and  all  can  learn  to 
do  effective  personal  work.  The  mother  who  is  con- 
fined at  home  by  multiplicity  of  home  duties  can  still 
do  personal  work,  first  of  all  with  her  own  children, 
and  then  with  the  servants  in  the  home,  with  the 
butcher,  the  grocer,  the  tramp  who  calls  at  the  door, 
in  fact,  with  everybody  who  comes  within  reach.  I 
once  knew  a  mother  very  gifted  in  the  matter  of  bring- 
ing her  own  children  up  in  the  nurture  and  admonition 
of  the  Lord,  who  lamented  that  she  could  not  do  some 
work  for  Christ,  I  watched  this  woman  carefully,  and 
found  that  almost  every  one  who  came  to  the  house  in 
any  capacity  was  spoken  to  about  the  Savior,  and  she 
was,  in  point  of  fact,  doing  more  for  Christ  in  the  way 
of  direct  evangelistic  work  than  most  pastors. 

Even  the  one  shut  up  at  home  by  sickness  can  do 
personal  work.  As  friends  come  to  the  sick  bed,  a 
word  of  testimony  can  be  given  for  Christ,  or  even  an 
extended  conversation  can  be  held.  A  little  child  of 
twelve  who  was  dying  in  the  city  of  Minneapolis  let 
her  light  shine  for  the  Master,  and  spoke  among  others 
to  a  Godless  physician,  to  whom,  perhaps,  no  one  else 
had  spoken  about  Christ.  A  poor  girl  in  New  York 
City,  who  was  rescued  from  the  slums  and  died  a  year 
or  two  afterwards,  was  used  of  God  to  lead  about 
one  hundred  men  and  women  to  Christ,  while  lying 
upon  her  dying  bed. 

The  servant  girl  can  do  effective  and  personal  work. 
Lord  Shaftsbury,  the  great  English  evangelist,  was 
won  to  Christ  in  a  Godless  home  by  the  effective  work 
of  the  nurse  girl. 


148  PERSONAL  WORK 

Traveling  men  have  unusually  good  opportunities 
for  doing  personal  work,  as  they  travel  on  the  trains 
from  town  to  town,  as  they  stop  in  one  hotel  after 
another  and  go  from  store  to  store.  A  professional 
nurse  once  came  into  my  Bible  class  in  Chicago,  and  at 
the  close  of  the  meeting  approached   me  and   said: 

* '  I  was  led  to  Christ  by  Mr. [a  traveling  man 

connected  with  a  large  wholesale  house].  I  was  in  a 
hotel  parlor,  and  this  gentleman  saw  me  and  walked 
across  the  parlor  and  asked  me  if  I  was  a  Christian, 
and  when  I  told  him  I  was  not,  he  proceeded  at  once 
to  show  me  the  way  of  life.  I  was  so  startled  and 
impressed  to  find  a  traveling  man  leading  others  to 
Christ  that  I  accepted  Him  as  my  Savior  then  and 
there.  He  told  me  if  I  ever  came  to  Chicago  to  come 
to  your  Bible  class."  I  have  watched  this  woman  for 
years  since,  and  she  herself  is  a  most  devoted  Christian 
and  effective  worker. 

How  wonderful  would  be  the  results  if  all  Christians 
should  begin  to  be  active  personal  workers  to  the 
extent  of  their  ability!  Nothing  else  would  do  so 
much  to  promote  a  revival  in  any  community,  and  in 
the  land  at  large.  Every  pastor  should  urge  this  duty 
upon  his  people,  train  them  for  it,  and  see  that  they 
doit 

2.  It  can  be  done  anywhere.  There  are  but  few 
places  where  one  can  preach.  There  is  no  place  where 
one  cannot  do  personal  work.  How  often,  as  we  pass 
factories,  engine  houses,  lodging  houses  and  other 
places  where  crowds  are  gathered,  do  we  wish  that  we 
might  get  into  them  and  preach  the  Gospel,  but  gener- 
ally this  is  impossible,  but  it  is  altogether  possible  to 
go  in  and  do  personal  work.     Furthermore,  we  can  do 


PERSONAL  WORK  149 

personal  work  on  the  street,  whether  street  meetings 
are  allowed  or  not.  We  can  do  personal  work  in  the 
homes  of  the  poor  and  in  the  homes  of  the  rich,  in  hos- 
pitals, workhouses,  jails,  station  houses,  and  all  sorts 
of  institutions — in  a  word,  everywhere. 

3.  It  can  be  done  at  any  time.  The  times  when  we 
can  have  preaching  services  and  Sunday  Schools  are 
quite  limited.  As  a  rule,  in  most  communities,  we 
cannot  have  services  more  than  two  or  three  days  in 
the  week,  and  only  three  or  four  hours  in  the  day,  but 
personal  work  can  be  done  seven  days  in  the  week,  and 
any  time  of  day  or  night.  Some  of  the  best  personal 
work  done  in  this  country  in  the  last  twenty  years  has 
been  done  on  the  streets  at  midnight  and  after  mid- 
night. Those  who  love  souls  have  walked  the  streets 
looking  for  wanderers,  and  have  gone  into  dens  of  vice 
seeking  the  lost  sheep,  and  hundreds  upon  hundreds  of 
them  have  thus  been  found. 

4.  //  reaches  all  classes.  There  are  large  classes  of 
men  that  no  other  method  will  reach.  There  are  the 
shut-ins  who  cannot  get  out  to  church,  the  street-car 
men,  the  policemen,  railroad  conductors,  sleeping-car 
men,  firemen,  the  very  poor  and  the  very  rich.  Some 
cannot  and  others  will  not  attend  church  or  cottage 
meeting  or  mission  meeting,  but  personal  work  reaches 
them  all. 

5.  //  hits  the  7nark.  Preaching  is  necessarily  gen- 
eral ;  personal  work  is  direct  and  personal.  There  is 
no  mistaking  who  is  meant,  there  is  no  dodging  the 
arrow,  there  is  no  possibility  of  giving  what  is  said 
away  to  some  one  else.  Many  whom  even  so  expert  a 
Gospel  preacher  as  Mr.  Moody  has  missed  have  been 
afterwards  reached  by  personal  work. 


ISO  PERSONAL  WORK 

6.  It  meets  the  definite  need^  and  every  need  of  the 
person  dealt  with.  Even  when  men  are  aroused  and 
convicted,  and  perhaps  converted  by  a  sermon,  per- 
sonal work  is  necessary  to  bring  out  into  a  clear  light 
and  into  a  satisfactory  experience  one  whom  the  ser- 
mon has  thus  aroused,  convicted  and  converted. 

7.  //  avails  where  other  methods  fail.  One  of  my 
best  workers  told  me  a  few  weeks  ago  that  she  had 
attended  church  for  years,  and  had  wanted  to  become 
a  Christian.  She  had  listened  to  some  of  the  best- 
known  preachers,  and  still  was  unsaved,  but  the  very 
first  inquiry  meeting  she  went  into  she  was  saved 
because  some  one  came  and  dealt  with  her  per- 
sonally. 

8.  It  produces  very  large  results.  There  is  no  com- 
parison whatever  between  what  will  be  effected  by 
good  preaching  and  what  will  be  effected  by  constant 
personal  work.  Take  a  church  of  one  hundred  mem- 
bers; such  a  church  under  an  excellent  pastor  would 
be  considered  as  doing  an  exceptionally  good  work  if 
on  an  average  fifty  were  added  annually  to  this  mem- 
bership. But  suppose  that  that  church  was  trained  to 
do  personal  work,  and  that  fifty  of  the  one  hundred 
members  actually  went  at  it.  Certainly  one  a  month 
won  to  Christ  by  each  one  would  not  be  a  large 
average.  That  would  be  six  hundred  a  year  instead  of 
the  fifty  mentioned  above.  A  church  of  many  mem- 
bers, with  the  most  powerful  preaching  possible,  that 
depends  upon  the  minister  alone  to  win  men  to  Christ 
by  his  preaching,  would  not  accomplish  anything  like 
what  would  be  accomplished  by  a  church  with  a  com- 
paratively poor  preacher,  where  the  membership 
generally  were  personal  workers. 


PERSONAL  WORK  151 

II.     HOW  TO  SUCCEED 

Certain  things  are  necessary  to  do  effective  personal 
work,  but  these  things  which  are  necessary  are  within 
the  reach  of  every  Christian. 

1.  The  first  is  a  clear  knowledge  of  Christ  as  a  per' 
sonal  Savior.  Paul  was  an  effective  worker  because 
he  himself  knew  Christ  as  his  own  Savior.  He  could 
effectively  bring  others  to  Christ  because  he  could  say, 
**This  is  a  faithful  saying  and  worthy  of  all  accepta- 
tion, that  Jesus  Christ  came  into  the  world  to  save 
sinners,   of  whom  I  am  chief.  *  * 

A  clear  knowledge  of  Jesus  as  a  personal  Savior 
includes  three  things:  first,  a  knowledge  of  pardon 
through  the  atoning  blood  of  Christ ;  second,  victory 
over  sin  through  the  risen  Christ ;  third,  absolute  sur- 
render to  Christ  as  Lord. 

2.  A  clear  and  firm  conviction  that  any  man  who  has 
not  accepted  Christ  is  lost.  Jesus  said,  "I  am  come  to 
seek  and  to  save  that  which  was  lost."  It  was  this 
clear  apprehension  and  deep  conviction  that  men  were 
lost  that  drove  Him  to  work  day  and  night  to  seek  and 
to  save  them.  In  like  manner  Paul  tells  us  that  he 
ceased  not  to  admonish  men  night  and  day  with  tears. 
It  was  doubtless  the  conviction  that  men  were  lost  that 
urove  him  to  those  earnest  efforts,  and  brought  from 
him  those  tears  of  compassion.  The  conviction  that 
men  are  lost  will  fill  us  with  a  desire  for  their  salva- 
tion, will  make  us  tireless  in  our  efforts  to  save  them, 
and  will  give  pathos  and  power  to  our  words  as  we 
speak  with  them. 

But  how  can  we  get  this  conviction?  By  the  study 
of  the  Word  and  faith  in  the  Word.  Deep  convictions 
come  through  knowledge  of  the  truth.     If  one  would 


152  PERSONAL  WORK 

have  a  deep  conviction  that  men  are  lost,  he  should 
dwell  upon  this  truth  as  set  forth  in  the  Word  of  God, 
and  ask  God  by  His  Holy  Spirit  to  give  this  Word 
truth  and  power  in  his  heart  and  life.  The  conviction 
that  all  men  out  of  Christ  are  lost  is  largely  missing  in 
professing  Christians  and  even  in  ministers  to-day,  and 
this  goes  far  toward  accounting  for  the  powerlessness  of 
the  average  church-member  and  average  minister  as  a 
soul  winner. 

3.  A  practical  knowledge  of  the  Bible,  The  Bible  is 
the  one  instrument  that  God  has  appointed  to  produce 
conviction  of  sin,  and  to  bring  men  to  faith  in  Jesus 
Christ,  and  to  regenerate.  In  order  to  be  used  of  God 
to  produce  conviction  of  sin,  and  to  lead  men  to  faith 
in  Christ,  and  to  bring  about  the  new  birth  in  their 
experience,  we  must  know  how  to  use  our  Bible  so  as 
to  produce  these  results.  One  may  have  a  wide  and 
profound  general  knowledge  of  the  Bible,  and  yet  be 
absolutely  at  sea  in  its  practical  use.  In  an  after- 
meeting  I  once  asked  one  of  the  best-known  and  most 
useful  teachers  of  the  Word  of  God  in  America  to 
speak  with  a  woman  and  show  her  how  to  be  saved, 
and  he  replied,  "I  do  not  know  how  to  do  that."  This 
is  something  that  every  child  of  God  ought  to  know, 
and  it  is  something  that  every  child  of  God  may  know, 
because  there  are  books  that  tell  very  plainly  just  how 
to  do  it. 

4.  Love,  Nothing  wins  like  love.  It  is  the  Savior 
lifted  up  on  the  Cross,  thus  revealing  His  infinite  love, 
who  draws  men  unto  Him,  and  we,  by  our  love  to 
men,  can  win  them  to  the  Savior.  At  the  close  of  a 
meeting  in  one  of  the  suburbs  of  Chicago,  the  first 
person   that  rose    was    a    very  large   man.      I    was 


PERSONAL  WORK  153 

attracted  by  his  appearance,  and  afterwards  spoke  to 
him.  He  told  me  that  he  had  attended  church  and 
prayer  meeting  for  years,  but  had  only  gone  to  criti- 
cise ;  that  when  men  would  get  up  and  speak  in  prayer 
meeting  he  would  take  out  his  note  book  and  "keep 
tab  on  them, ' '  writing  down  what  they  said,  and  then 
comparing  it  during  the  week  with  the  way  they  lived. 
At  last  he  was  taken  very  sick,  and  was  supposed  to 
be  dying.  A  minister  of  the  town  called  upon  him, 
and  asked  the  privilege  of  praying  with  him.  He 
replied,  "You  can  pray  if  you  want  to."  "As  the 
minister  knelt  to  pray,"  he  said  to  .me,  "I  kept  tab  on 
him,  too.  I  thought  I  was  dying,  but  I  lay  there  with 
my  eyes  open  watching  the  preacher  to  see  if  he  was 
real,  thinking  nothing  about  my  own  soul,  but  about 
him.  As  I  watched,  I  saw  a  tear  stealing  down  his 
face,  and  I  said,  'This  man  is  real,  he  loves  me, 
though  I  am  nothing  to  him,'  and  that  broke  my 
heart."  This  man  recovered,  and  has  become  an 
untiring  worker  for  Christ,  but  he  was  not  won  by  my 
sermon,  or  by  my  dealing  with  him,  but  by  the  other 
minister's  love,  and  that  minister  did  not  know  that  he 
had  accomplished  anything  by  his  prayer. 

5.  Self-renunciation.  Jesus  said  to  His  disciples, 
"Come  ye  after  me,  and  I  will  make  you  to  become 
fishers  of  men."  It  is  only  by  coming  after  Him  that 
we  can  become  successful  fishers  of  men;  but  He 
says,  "If  any  man  would  come  after  me,  let  him  deny 
himself  and  take  up  his  cross  and  follow  me."  If  we 
are  to  be  largely  used  in  personal  work,  or  any  kind  of 
work  for  the  Master,  there  must  be  an  utter  putting 
away  of  personal  interest,  our  own  comfort,  our  ease, 
our  pride,  our  feelings.     Pride  is  one  of  the  greatest 


154  PERSONAL  WORK 

hindrances  to  effective  personal  work.  Oftentimes  it 
keeps  us  from  attempting  work  for  fear  of  rebuff.  It 
makes  us  unwilling  to  seem  beaten  in  an  argument, 
and  so  we  keep  on  arguing,  when  it  would  be  far 
better  for  the  disputant  to  leave  him  alone ;  it  leads  us 
to  get  angry  when  the  one  with  whom  we  are  working 
seems  to  get  the  best  of  us,  and  nothing  is  more  unfor- 
tunate than  when  the  worker  loses  his  temper.  A 
cowardly  worldling  once  spit  in  the  face  of  a  converted 
prize-fighter.  He  knew  that  the  prize-fighter  could 
whip  him  very  easily,  and  the  prize-fighter  felt 
tempted  to  do  it.  The  hot  blood  rushed  to  his  face, 
but  he  simply  took  out  his  handkerchief  and  wiped  the 
spittle  from  his  face  and  said,  *'The  blood  of  Jesus 
Christ  could  wipe  away  all  your  sins  as  easily  as  I 
have  wiped  this  spittle  from  my  face."  That  con- 
quered. 

6.  Prayer,  **The  effectual  fervent  prayer  of  a  right- 
eous man  availeth  not,"  but  there  is  no  line  in  which 
prayer  avails  more  than  in  the  line  of  personal  work. 
The  worker  must  pray  for  wisdom.  God  has  promised 
to  give  it  to  us  when  we  ask  Him  for  it  (James  1:5). 
We  need  it  with  every  case  with  which  we  deal.  No 
matter  how  thorough  our  knowledge  may  be  of  the 
Word  of  God,  and  of  men,  each  case  presents  its  own 
peculiarities,  and  only  the  wisdom  which  God  gives  is 
sufficient. 

We  should  pray  for  power.  **  Power  belongeth  unto 
God,  * '  but  the  power  that  belongs  unto  God  is  at  our 
disposal  in  answer  to  prayer. 

We  should  pray  for  those  with  whom  we  are  dealing 
that  God  will  open  their  eyes  to  see  the  truth  and 
move  their  hearts  to  obey  it.     When  the  work  is  done 


PERSONAL  WORK  155 

we  should  pray  for  God's  blessing  upon  the  seed  sown, 
and  oftentimes  the  work  that  has  appeared  fruitless 
will  become  fruitful  by  the  blessing  of  God. 

We  should  pray  for  the  definite  anointing  of  the 
Holy  Spirit  that  we  may  become  effective  workers. 
Many  a  man  has  tried  ineffectively  for  years  to  be  a 
successful  personal  worker,  but  by  coming  to  know 
the  privilege  of  being  filled  with  the  Holy  Ghost  has 
stepped  out  of  a  place  of  powerlessness  into  a  place  of 
power.     The  prayer  must  be  real,  earnest,  persistent. 

7.  Perseverance.  There  is  one  text  that  a  personal 
worker  needs  to  let  sink  deep  into  his  heart:  "Let  us 
not  be  weary  in  well-doing,  for  in  due  season  we  shall 
reap  if  we  faint  not."  No  work  requires  as  much 
patience  and  perseverance  as  soul-winning.  No  work 
is  more  worthy  of  it.  We  should  show  our  patience  by 
the  way  we  deal  with  each  case.  Many  say  a  few 
words  to  one,  and  then  a  few  words  to  another,  and 
then  to  another.  They  keep  flitting  here  and  there; 
they  are  not  the  successful  workers.  Others,  when 
they  once  begin  to  deal  with  a  man  hold  on  to  that 
man  until,  if  it  is  in  any  wise  possible,  he  has  been  led 
to  Christ.  I  have  workers  in  my  church  who  if  they 
get  hold  of  a  person  in  an  inquiry  meeting  I  feel 
reasonably  confident  will  lead  that  person  to  Christ. 
If  one  attempt  fails  with  a  man,  we  should  show  our 
perseverance  by  making  another  and  another  and 
another.  We  should  study  how  to  get  at  men  who  are 
unreachable.  There  is  an  avenue  of  approach  to 
every  soul  if  we  can  only  find  it.  It  is  worth  much 
time  and  thought  and  study  to  find  it.  It  took  me 
fifteen  years  to  win  one  man,  but  when  that  man,  after 
several  years  of  effective  ministry,  lay  silent  in  death. 


156  PERSONAL  WORK 

as  I  stood  beside  his  coffin  I  was  glad  that  God  gave 
me  the  perseverance  to  work  fifteen  years  for  his  con- 
version. 

We  should  show  our  perseverance  by  seeking  another 
person  when  we  have  apparently  failed  with  one,  and 
if  we  fail  again,  seek  still  another,  and  if  again,  still 
another. 

8.  Constant  activity.  **In  the  morning  sow  thy  seed, 
and  in  the  evening  withhold  not  thy  hand,  for  thou 
knowest  not  which  shall  prosper,  whether  this  or  that, 
or  whether  they  both  shall  be  alike  good. ' '  The  per- 
sonal worker's  motto  should  be,  "At  it,  and  always  at 
it,"  by  day  and  by  night,  in  the  home,  in  the  place  of 
business,  on  the  street,  in  hotels,  in  the  cars,  every- 
where. Nothing  was  more  characteristic  of  Mr. 
Moody,  and  nothing  went  further  to  make  him  the 
mighty  man  of  God  that  he  was,  than  the  fact  that  he 
was  always  on  the  watch  for  souls,  and  always  sowing 
the  seed  which  is  the  Word  of  God.  He  would  speak 
to  the  conductor  who  took  up  his  ticket  on  the  car,  to 
the  reporter  who  came  to  interview  him,  to  the  servant 
in  the  home,  to  the  man  he  met  in  business.  He  was 
at  it  and  always  at  it,  and  so  God  gave  him  blessing 
and  victory. 

God  is  calling  all  Christians  to  rouse  up  and  go  to 
work,  witnessing  for  Christ  and  striving  by  personal 
effort  to  bring  all  within  their  reach  to  Christ.  Who 
will  hear  the  call?  A  glorious  reward  awaits  all  who 
do.     They  ** shall  shine  as  the  stars  forever  and  ever." 


DRAWING  THE  NET 

R.    A.    TORREY 

Many  a  mighty  preacher  fails  to  get  the  results  he 
might  from  his  preaching  because  he  does  not  know- 
how  to  draw  the  net.  He  is  skillful  at  hooking  fish, 
but  does  not  know  how  to  land  them.  A  friend  told 
me  three  days  ago  that  he  heard  a  man  that  evening 
preach  to  a  large  congregation  of  men  one  of  the  best 
sermons  he  ever  heard,  and,  continued  my  friend,  "I 
believe  there  would  have  been  fifty  decisions  right 
then,  but  just  at  the  critical  moment  the  evangelist  did 
not  know  what  to  do,  and  he  let  the  meeting  slip 
through  his  fingers.  He  asked  them  all  to  stand  up 
and  sing  some  hymns.  The  men  began  to  go  out  in 
crowds.  Then  he  tried  to  get  hold  of  things  again, 
but  it  was  too  late,  though  there  were  some  inquirers 
there  was  nothing  like  the  result  there  ought  to  have 
been.  The  moment  the  last  word  of  the  sermon  is 
littered,  there  should  be  opportunity  for  decisions. 
This  opportunity  may  be  given  in  a  variety  of  ways. 
You  may  ask  the  audience  to  bow  a  few  moments  in 
silent  prayer,  insisting  courteously  but  firmly  that  no 
one  go  out  for  a  few  moments.  If  the  interest  is  deep 
enough  you  may  then  ask  *'all  who  wish  to  be  saved," 
or  "all  who  have  made  up  their  minds  now  and  here  to 
accept  Christ  as  their  personal  Savior,  to  surrender  to 
Him  as  their  Lord  and  Master,  and  to  begin  to  confess 
Him  as  such  before  the  world, ' '  to  rise  (or  come  forward 

157 


IS8  DRAWING  THE  NET 

and  give  me  your  hand ;  or  come  kneel  at  the  altar). 
If  you  think  the  interest  hardly  warrants  that,  you  can 
ask  "all  in  the  audience  who  are  burdened  for  unsaved 
friends,"  or  "all  who  are  anxious  for  the  salvation  of 
some  friends  in  this  audience,"  to  rise.  When  they 
have  risen,  invite  all  who  wish  to  be  saved  right  now 
to  rise.  It  is  not  well  usually  in  the  general  meeting 
to  ask  all  Christians  to  rise,  as  this  makes  it  awkward 
for  the  unsaved,  and  they  may  not  come  back  again. 
Another  good  way  is  to  say,  "We  are  going  to  sing  a 
hymn  and  I  don't  want  anyone  to  go  out  until  it  is 
finished.  The  Holy  Spirit  is  working  in  this  meeting 
(don't  say  that  unless  He  is),  and  anyone  moving 
about  may  disturb  some  one  just  on  the  verge  of  a 
decision  for  Christ.  Now,  while  we  sing  the  second 
verse,  all  who  will  accept  Christ  (don't  say,  "if  any  one 
will")  arise.  Stop  when  the  second  verse  is  sung  and 
call  for  decisions.  Then  sing  the  third,  and  the 
fourth,  etc.,  in  a  similar  way.  If  you  are  fortunate 
enough  to  have  an  altar  in  the  church  where  you  are 
preaching,  it  is  often  better  to  have  them  come  to  the 
altar.  If  you  have  no  altar,  you  can  have  the  front 
seats  emptied  and  use  them  for  an  altar.  A  solo  may 
be  used  in  place  of  a  congregational  hymn.  Still 
another  way  is  to  say,  as  you  close  your  sermon,  "We 
are  going  to  have  a  second  meeting  to  give  those  who 
have  been  converted  here  to-night  and  all  who  are 
interested  an  opportunity  to  accept  Christ  now  and 
enter  at  once  into  the  joy  of  the  Christian  life.  We 
want  every  man  who  is  interested  in  his  soul's  salva- 
tion and  all  Christians  to  stay  to  that  second  meeting. 
You  can't  afford  to  go  away."  It  is  usually  better  to 
have  the  second  meeting  in  another  room,  if  there  is 


DRAWING  THE  NET  159 

one  that  the   people  have  to  pass  as  they  go  out. 
Have  wise  workers  posted  at  every  door  of  this  room 
to  invite  and  urge  the  people  to  come  in  as  they  pass. 
When   the  interest   is  very  deep   you   can   have   the 
second  meeting  in  another  building.     Have  the  singing 
in  the  second  meeting  begin  at  once  as  the  people 
come  in.     When  all  are  in,  have  absolute  silence,  and 
then   silent   prayer.       Perhaps  two  or   three   audible 
prayers   by  men   and  women  whom  you  can  trust   as 
really  knowing  God   may  follow.       (Don't   take  any 
chances  at  this  point  and  let  some  crank  spoil  youi 
meeting.)     The  next  thing  to  do  varies  with  circum- 
stances.    You  may  call  for  an  expression  at  once.     If 
the  interest  is  very  deep,  call  at  once  for  those  who 
wish  to  accept  Christ  to  rise  or  come  forward.     On 
other  occasions  ask  **all  who  have  accepted  Christ  and 
know  that  they  are  saved  and  are  walking  in  fellowship 
with  Christ"  to  arise.     Now  you  and  your  workers  see 
•^ho  the  persons  to  deal  with  are.     Next  ask  those  who 
wish  to  become  Christians  to  arise.     It  may  be  well  to 
sing  one  or  several  verses  as  this  is  done.     One  and 
another    and    another    and     then    many    will    arise. 
Wherever  it  is  possible  it  is  well  to  have  now  still  a 
third  room  into  which  those  who  have  risen  as  desiring 
to  become  Christians  shall  go.     Have  a  wise  man  in 
charge    of    this  room   until  you   get   there   yourself. 
Have  him  put  one  worker,  and  only  one,  with  each 
inquirer.      These  workers  should  be  trained  for  the 
work.     Every  church  should  have  a  training  class  for 
this  purpose.     When  you  have  gotten  all  you  can  into 
the  inside  room,  turn  the  outside  meeting  into  a  meet- 
ing for  testimony  and  prayer,  which  either  you  or  some 
wise  worker  manages.     It  is  a  great  advantage  to  have 


i6o  DRAWING  THE  NET 

a  choir  leader  who  can  do  that.  The  unconverted  ones 
who  have  not  gone  into  the  inside  room  can  be  gotten 
hold  of  personally  in  this  testimony  meeting  or  after- 
ward. Don't  have  any  holes  in  your  net  anywhere  if 
you  can  avoid  it.  Sometimes,  in  the  second  meeting, 
it  is  well  to  ask  all  who  were  converted  after  they  were 
fifty  to  rise,  then  those  who  were  converted  after  they 
were  forty,  thirty,  twenty,  ten,  before  they  were  ten. 
Then  ask  all  who  will  accept  Jesus  to-night  to  rise. 
Then  all  who  really  desire  to  know  the  way  of  life. 
A  good  method  to  use  occasionally  in  the  second  meet- 
ing is  te  ask  all  who  were  converted  after  they  were 
fifty  to  come  forward  and  gather  about  the  platform, 
then  those  who  were  converted  after  they  were  forty, 
etc.  This  will  gradually  thin  out  those  who  are 
seated,  and  the  unconverted  will  find  themselves  being 
left  behind,  and  it  will  set  some  of  them  to  thinking. 
Especially  will  this  be  true  if  a  man  sees  his  wife  leav- 
ing him,  or  a  son  sees  a  mother.  Some  one  may  think 
that  there  is  too  much  method  and  maneuvering  in  all 
this,  but  it  wins  souls,  and  that  is  worth  maneuvering 
for.  Jesus  Himself  told  us  to  be  ^'*wise  as  serpents," 
and  also  said  that  *'the  sons  of  this  world  are  for  their 
own  generations  wiser  than  the  sons  of  light."  Evi- 
dently Jesus  would  have  us  exercise  all  honest 
ingenuity  in  accomplishing  His  work,  especially  the 
work  of  soul  winning.  It  is  lawful,  as  Paul's  example 
shows,  to  catch  them  **with  guile"  (2  Cor.  12:16). 
The  methods  suggested  will  suggest  still  others.  The 
great  purpose  of  all  these  methods  is  to  get  many  to 
commit  themselves  and  to  bring  them  to  a  decision  to 
accept  Christ.  Much  good  preaching  comes  to  nothing 
because  it  is  not  driven  home  to  the  individual  and  the 


DRAWING  THE  NET  i6i 

individual  brought  then  and  there  to  an  acceptance 
and  confession  of  Jesus  as  Savior  and  as  Lord.  When 
one  has  been  led  to  accept  Jesus,  an  immediate  public 
confession  (then  and  there)  should  be  insisted  upon, 
(Rom.  lo;  9,  lo,) 


THE  AFTER-MEETING 

The  owners  of  mill-ponds  have  a  way  of  drawing  off 
the  water  now  and  then  for  the  purpose  of  catching-  the 
fish.  If  the  pond  covers  ten  acres  of  land,  and  the  fish 
are  distributed  all  through  its  waters,  it  is  difficult  to 
find  them,  and  impossible  to  catch  them  without 
stealthy  approach  and  enticing  bait.  But  after  the 
bulk  of  the  water  has  been  drawn  off  and  the  area 
reduced  to  half  an  acre,  the  fisherman  casts  in  his  net 
and  draws  the  fish  ashore  with  ease.  Such  is  the 
object  of  the  after-meeting.  It  gets  rid  of  the  ele- 
ments in  a  crowd  which  are  not  a  help,  but  a  hindrance 
to  the  work  of  soul-winning.  It  enables  us  to  come 
nearer  to  the  inquirer,  and  to  point  him  to  Jesus  in 
face  to  face  conversation.  It  reduces  the  size  of  the 
pond  so  that  the  Gospel  hand-net  may  be  used  with 
good  results.  This  reducing  process  may  continue 
even  in  the  after-meeting.  If  you  have  a  man  or  a 
woman  whom  you  know  has  grace  for  soul-winning,  get 
together  a  group  of  inquirers  and  put  him  or  her  in 
the  midst  of  them.  The  whole  group  may  be  rejoic- 
ing in  Christ  before  the  meeting  closes.  If  you  have 
small  separate  rooms  to  which  you  can  invite  these 
groups,  all  the  better. 

The  Bible  is  the  text-book  for  an  after-meeting,  as 
it  ought  to  be  for  every  religious  service.     The  leader 

162 


THE  AFTER-MEETING  163 

may  take  a  few  minutes  to  make  plain  the  way  of  life 
from  some  text  or  paragraph  of  the  Book.  But  let 
him  remember  that  the  purpose  of  the  meeting  is  not 
edification,  but  salvation.  An  address  to  Christians, 
unless  it  be  a  few  words  at  the  close  urging  them  to 
go  out  and  seek  the  lost,  is  out  of  place  in  the  after- 
meeting.  If  no  unsaved  person  remains,  it  would  be 
well  for  the  Christians  to  have  a  season  of  humiliation 
and  prayer.  There  should  be  earnest  heart-searching 
while  they  ask  God  and  each  other,  "Am  I  an  Achan 
in  the  camp  hindering  the  work  of  the  Lord?" 

The  testimony  of  Christians  as  to  the  Scriptures 
which  led  them  to  Christ,  or  into  larger  faith  and 
brighter  hope,  is  a  most  important  part  of  the  after- 
meeting.  Let  me  give,  as  nearly  as  I  can  remember, 
what  was  done  and  said  in  an  after-meeting  which  I 
attended  a  few  weeks  ago.  As  soon  as  quiet  was 
restored,  there  was  an  earnest  prayer  for  guidance. 
The  leader  then  arose  and  said:  "We  will  now  hear 
from  as  many  as  can  speak  in  five  minutes  the  Scrip- 
tures which  God  used  in  showing  them  the  way  of  life. 
We  want  simply  the  Word  of  God  without  comment. 
Rise  and  speak  distinctly,  with  a  prayer  that  God  will 
bless  others  through  the  truth  as  He  has  blessed  you." 
The  first  one  to  respond  was  a  young  woman  who 
quoted  with  a  clear  voice:  "Him  that  cometh  unto  Me 
I  will  in  no  wise  cast  out."  The  leader  said:  "That 
invitation  is  also  a  promise;  it  implies  that  all  who 
come  to  Christ  He  will  receive,  but  it  says  very  much 
more.  He  will  receive  and  never  cast  out.  There  is 
in  it  saving  and  keeping  power.  It  is  the  Scripture  for 
those  of  you  who  are  afraid  that  you  may  not  hold 
out."     The  next  witness  was  a  man  of  middle  age, 


i64  THE  AFTER-MEETING 

who  said:  "He  is  able  to  save  to  the  uttermost  all  who 
come  unto  God  by  him. "  The  leader:  "God  is  all- 
powerful,  but  you  make  Him  able  by  accepting  the 
Lord  Jesus  Christ,  and  this  ability  is  based  upon  the 
fact  that  He  ever  liveth  to  make  intercessions  for  us." 
Third  witness:  "Come  unto  me  all  ye  that  labor  and 
are  heavy  laden,  and  I  will  give  you  rest."  Leader: 
"Do  you  want  rest  of  heart?  Come  to  Jesus  for  it 
now."  Fourth  witness:  "Look  unto  me  and  be  ye 
saved  all  ye  ends  of  the  earth."  Leader:  "Looking  is 
not  a  long  process.  You  can  look  as  quick  as  a  light- 
ning flash;  look  this  moment  and  live."  Fifth  wit- 
ness: "There  is  therefore  now  no  condemnation  to 
them  who  are  in  Christ  Jesus."  Leader:  "We  who 
have  accepted  Christ  need  not  fear  the  judgment  day. 
Our  case  has  been  settled  in  the  court  of  mercy  where 
Jesus  Christ  is  the  Advocate."  Sixth  witness:  "To 
as  many  as  received  Him  to  them  gave  He  power  to 
become  the  sons  of  God."  Leader:  "And  if  sons,  then 
heirs;  heirs  of  God  and  joint  heirs  with  Christ.  Will 
you  not  accept  this  rich  inheritance  through  Christ  this 
evening?"  Seventh  witness:  "The  blood  of  Jesus 
Christ  His  Son  cleanseth  us  from  all  sin."  Leader: 
"Then  do  not  try  to  cleanse  yourself,  and  do  not  divide 
your  trust  between  the  blood  and  ordinances.  The 
Blood  is  all-sufficient;  accept  Jesus  Christ  and  the 
Blood  cleanses  at  once. 

•♦  'There  is  a  fountain  filled  with  blood, 
Drawn  from  Immanuel's  veins, 
And  sinners  plunged  beneath  that  flood, 
Lose  all  their  guilty  stains. '  " 

Eighth  witness:  "Believe  on  the  Lord  Jesus  Christ 
and  thou  shalt  be  saved."     Leader:  "It  does  not  say 


THE  AFTER-MEETING  165 

believe  on  Jesus  nor  believe  on  Christ  nor  believe  on 
the  Lord.  Jesus  means  Savior,  and  a  Savior  from 
sin  we  need.  Christ  means  the  anointed  one,  the  high 
priest  and  an  intercessor,  an  advocate  we  need.  Lord 
means  Master,  and  the  Master  we  need  to  rule  our 
lives.  You  cannot  accept  Him  as  Savior  while  you 
reject  Him  as  Lord,  nor  can  you  follow  Him  as  Lord 
while  you  reject  Him  as  Savior.  His  intercession  is 
for  those  who  accept  Him  as  both  Savior  and  Lord. 
So  you  see,  Paul  preached  to  the  jailer  the  full  Gospel 
when  he  said,  'Believe  on  the  Lord  Jesus  Christ  and 
thou  shalt  be  saved.*  The  little  word  on  is  very 
important ;  it  does  not  say  believe  about  the  Lord  Jesus 
Christ;  you  may  believe  all  about  Him  without  believ- 
ing on  Him.  I  believe  much  about  Washington,  Lin- 
coln, and  Grant,  but  I  am  not  conscious  of  believing 
on  either  of  them  in  the  sense  that  I  am  depending 
upon  them  for  anything.  When  your  faith  about 
Christ  has  been  translated  into  faith  on  Christ,  you  are 
saved."  The  invitation  was  then  given,  and  a  num- 
ber came  forward  and  gave  the  leader  their  hands, 
confessing  Christ  as  their  Savior  and  Lord,  the  leader 
remarking  that  it  was  well  to  begin  the  Christian  life 
with  a  handshake  and  pass  it  on  to  others. 

This  all  took  seven  or  eight  minutes,  and  I  do  not 
say  that  it  is  a  model  method,  but  it  has  the  advantage 
of  being  full  of  God's  Word. 

I  would  not,  however,  always  wait  till  the  close  of 
the  after-meeting  before  asking  converts  to  confess 
Christ.  We  ought  to  expect  God  to  save  people  while 
we  are  preaching,  and  Jesus  Christ  is  worthy  of  the 
most  public  confession.  If  the  purpose  of  the  after- 
meeting  is  to  make  it  easy  for  people  to  confess  Christ, 


i66  THE  AFTER-MEETING 

because  the  unsympathetic  crowd  who  might  scoff 
are  gone,  it  had  better  be  abandoned.  That  scene 
on  Calvary  was  not  in  a  corner.  Our  Lord's  shameful 
death  on  the  cross  was  public,  and  it  is  fitting  that  our 
confession  of  Him  should  be  *' before  men,"  not  before 
Christians  only,  if  we  would  have  Him  confess  us 
before  the  Father  and  the  holy  angels. 

It  is  well  to  have  it  understood  that  it  is  in  order  for 
the  new  convert  to  confess  Christ  at  any  time.  There 
might  be  a  little  confusion  now  and  then,  but  a  glo- 
rious confusion  it  would  be  if  caused  by  the  confession 
of  new-bom  faith  in  the  Savior.  While  I  was  preach- 
ing to  the  unsaved,  urging  an  immediate  decision, 
about  the  middle  of  the  sermon  I  saw  a  tall  young  man 
near  the  door  rise  up,  step  into  the  aisle,  and  come 
walking  toward  the  pulpit.  He  stood  just  in  front  of 
me  for  a  moment  looking  up  into  my  face  as  if  he 
wanted  to  say  something.  My  first  thought  was  that 
he  was  a  little  *'off,"  and  might  create  a  disturbance; 
so  I  paused  for  an  explanation,  when  he  reached  out 
his  hand  and  said,  with  a  voice  full  of  genuine  emo- 
tion: "Excuse  me,  sir,  but  I  have  just  accepted  the 
Lord  Jesus  Christ  as  my  Savior,  and  I  felt  I  could 
not  wait  for  you  to  get  through  before  I  told  you." 
There  was  no  need  of  any  more  sermon.  The  Spirit 
of  God  fell  upon  the  audience.  Oh,  that  our  praying 
and  preaching  may  be  with  such  power  that  men  and 
women  will  not  wait  for  us  to  ask  them  to  request  us  to 
pray  for  them,  nor  to  confess  Christ,  but  under  the 
conviction  of  the  Spirit  will  cry  out  as  at  Pentecost, 
What  must  we  do?  And  when  they  have  accepted 
Christ,  so  full  of  faith  and  joy  that  they  will  not 
wait    for    formal    invitations,    but    at    once   **make 


THE  AFTER-MEETING  167 

known  to  all  around  what  a  dear  Savior  they  have 
found." 

The  praying  in  an  after-meeting  should  be  brief,  and 
for  but  one  thing — the  salvation  of  the  lost.  Long 
general  prayers  that  take  in  everything  and  everybody 
are  apt  to  be  powerless  anywhere,  but  they  are 
specially  out  of  place  in  a  meeting  with  a  definite 
object. 

In  dealing  with  an  inquirer,  when  you  see  that  he 
has  come  to  the  point  of  accepting  Christ,  it  is  well  to 
ask  him  to  kneel  with  you  and  pray  aloud.  His  prayer 
will  be  an  index  to  his  heart.  If  he  begins  with  con- 
fessing sin  and  thanking  God  for  the  gift  of  Christ, 
you  may  be  sure  that  he  is  saved.  If  he  apologizes  for 
sin  and  fails  to  make  a  full  confession,  he  needs  further 
instruction. 

The  workers  in  an  after-meeting  should  be  on  fire 
with  love  to  Christ  and  souls.  If  they  are  mature 
Christians  with  large  experience,  all  the  better,  pro- 
vided they  do  not  tell  their  experiences  to  inquirers, 
and  thus  put  them  to  seeking  a  similar  experience 
rather  than  Christ.  Young,  intelligent  Christians  with 
a  great  Savior  and  a  little  experience  make  very 
effective  workers.  Preach  Jesus  in  the  after-meeting, 
and  spend  no  time  in  answering  curious  questions. 
A  young  college  student  rose  for  prayer  in  one  of  my 
meetings,  and  made  an  engagement  to  see  me  in  my 
study  next  morning  at  ten  o'clock.  When  alone  with 
him  I  asked  him:  "What  is  it  that  troubles  you?" 
**Well,  sir,"  he  replied,  "I  have  been  greatly  troubled 
for  some  time  over  the  question  as  to  where  Cain  got 
his  wife,  and  I  think,  if  I  could  settle  that,  I  could 
take  a  step  further."     I  answered  the  question  as  best 


i6S  THE  AFTER-MEETING 

I  could,  and  it  seemed  satisfactory  to  him.  But  with 
the  next  breath  he  asked  another  question  just  as 
frivolous.  I  answered  that,  and  he  asked  another.  I 
saw  he  was  a  sort  of  jack-in-the-box  of  questions,  and 
that  it  was  wasting-  time;  so  I  said:  "My  friend, 
answering  these  questions  is  profitless;  if  we  could 
answer  them  all  and  a  thousand  more  like  them, 
neither  5'^ou  nor  I  would  be  any  nearer  heaven.  Will 
you  kneel  with  me  and  ask  God  to  save  you  from  sin?" 
He  consented,  and  while  we  prayed  he  surrendered  to 
Christ.  I  might  have  spent  the  whole  day  in  answer- 
ing his  questions  without  leading  him  to  Christ. 

A  man  came  to  Mr.  Moody  in  an  after-meeting  with 
a  long  list  of  hard  questions.  Mr.  Moody  said,  *'I  will 
answer  your  questions  if  you  will  promise  me  to  do 
one  thing."  *'What  is  it?"  ** Promise  me  you  will  do 
it  before  I  tell  you."  "No  sensible  man  does  a  thing 
like  that."  "Will  you  promise  me,  then,  that  you 
will  try  to  do  it?"  "Yes,  I  can  make  that  promise." 
"Well,  give  your  heart  to  Jesus  Christ  and  then  come 
to  me  with  your  questions."  The  man  went  away 
disappointed,  but  two  nights  afterwards  he  returned 
with  a  radiant  face  and  told  Mr.  Moody  that  he  had 
done  what  he  asked  him  to  do  and  that,  for  twenty- 
four  hours,  he  had  been  one  of  the  happiest  men  on 
earth.  "Where  are  your  questions?"  asked  Mr. 
Moody.  "I  haven't  any,"  he  said.  "The  moment  I 
accepted  Jesus  Christ  they  were  all  answered,  or 
appeared  so  insignificant  that  they  were  not  worth 
answering."  Philip  might  have  spent  hours  answer- 
ing the  eunuch's  questions  about  Isaiah,  but  he  began 
at  the  same  Scripture  and  preached  unto  him  JesuSc 
Let  us  follow  his  example. 


THE  AFTER-MEETING  169 

The  open  Bible  in  face-to-face  work  is  indispensable. 
Turn  to  the  Scripture  that  suits  the  case  and  let  the 
inquirer  look  at  it  while  you  read.  The  truth  may- 
enter  through  eye-gate  more  readily  than  through  ear 
gate.  A  hand-book  for  soul- winners  may  be  useful  in 
the  worker's  study,  but  do  not  take  it  into  the  after- 
meeting.  Let  the  inquirer  read  directly  from  the 
Bible.  The  little  New  Testament  which  has  about 
one  hundred  texts  marked  with  red  ink  may  do  good 
service,  and,  if  you  can  afford  to  give  every  inquirer 
or  convert  the  copy  from  which  you  have  read,  it  will 
be  highly  prized.  God  may  continue  in  the  home  the 
work  which  began  in  the  after-meeting. 

After  dealing  with  a  poor  drunkard  in  two  after- 
meetings,  and  becoming  a  little  discouraged  because  of 
the  fact  that  in  the  second  the  fumes  of  drink  remained 
upon  his  breath,  I  gave  him  a  little  Testament  and 
asked  him  to  go  to  his  room  and  read  on  his  knees 
John  3:  16.  The  next  week  I  met  him  on  the  street 
sober  and  rejoicing  in  the  Lord.  He  told  me  that  he 
went  at  once  to  his  garret-room,  knelt  down  before  the 
only  chair  in  it,  with  the  little  book  open  before  him, 
read  aloud  the  verse  I  had  marked,  and  while  he  read 
light  came  into  his  soul.  Since  that  hour  God  had 
given  him  strength  to  pass  saloons  without  entering, 
and  though  the  thirst  for  drink  was  not  gone,  he  was 
trusting  God  for  grace  to  overcome. 

As  to  the  length  of  the  after-meeting,  that  should 
depend  upon  the  work  to  be  done.  If  there  are 
earnest  souls  seeking  Christ,  and  loth  to  leave  without 
comfort,  we  should  remain  with  them  as  long  as  we 
think  they  need  our  services.  The  Holy  Spirit  may 
not  watch  the  clock  as  we  do,  and  the  nervous  haste 
that  some  Christians  manifest  to  get  away  at  a  certain 


I70  THE  AFTER-MEETING 

time  may  not  be  pleasing  to  Him.  As  I  was  about  to 
begin  an  evening  service  in  a  New  York  church,  the 
pastor  whispered:  "You  must  be  careful  to  get 
through  the  whole  service  by  nine  o'clock. "  *'But," 
I  replied,  "suppose  the  Spirit  should  indicate  we  ought 
to  remain  later?"  **Oh,  well,  if  you  keep  the  people 
later  than  nine  they  will  not  come  back  to-morrow 
evening."  We  remained  until  9:45,  and  the  next 
evening  the  audience  was  twice  as  large.  To  have 
sent  the  people  home  at  nine  would  have  been  to  miss 
the  greatest  blessing  of  the  evening. 

An  after-meeting  should  be  entered  with  the  utmost 
reliance  upon  the  Holy  Spirit.  It  is  to  be  a  time  of 
decision.  There  will  be  battles  fought,  and  the 
power  of  the  Spirit  is  needed  to  give  the  victory. 
Keep  the  upward  look.  If  the  Spirit  seems  to  indicate 
that  the  program  you  have  formed  should  be  laid 
aside,  let  it  go.  Be  willing  that  God  should  have 
the  right  of  way.  Rejoice  if  He  burns  up  all  red  tape 
and  makes  the  meeting  thoroughly  unconventional. 
"Where  the  Spirit  of  the  Lord  is,  there  is  liberty." 
If,  as  leader,  you  are  under  the  complete  control  of 
the  Holy  Spirit,  you  will  be  able  to  decide  at  once 
what  ought  to  be  done  or  said.  You  will  see  at  a 
glance  that  a  brother  is  talking  from  force  of  habit,  or 
for  the  purpose  of  airing  a  fad,  and  not  with  an  earnest 
desire  to  lead  souls  to  Christ,  and  you  will  be  able  to 
stop  him  with  the  right  words  and  in  the  right  tone. 
In  an  after-meeting  a  few  evenings  ago,  just  as  the 
leader  was  giving  an  invitation  for  inquirers  to  accept 
Christ,  a  brother  rose  and  began  to  make  a  speech  on 
prayer.  The  leader  was  a  stranger  and  had  never 
seen  the  brother  before,  but  it  was  evident  to  him  that 
if  the  Holy  Spirit  to  whom  the  meeting  had  been  com- 


THE  AFTER-MEETING  171 

mitted  was  leading  it  the  brother's  message  was  not  of 
the  Spirit.  He  therefore  quietly  suggested  that  the 
time  would  not  admit  of  an  address.  The  brother  left 
the  room  at  once  indicating  by  his  manner  that  he  was 
angry,  but  the  meeting,  which  would  have  been  killed 
by  his  long  speech,  went  smoothly  on  with  good 
results.  There  are  a  class  of  Christians,  especially  in 
great  cities,  who  attend  all  meetings — not  for  the  good 
they  can  do  or  receive,  but  for  the  purpose  of  finding 
an  opportunity  to  speak  on  some  favorite  theme. 
When  they  rise  the  meeting  falls,  and  the  leader  needs 
the  wisdom  that  God  alone  can  give  in  dealing  with 
this  class  of  good  but  rather  useless  people. 

A  whispered  word,  or  even  an  elbow-touch  from  a 
friend  may  do  more  than  twenty  sermons  in  leading  to 
a  decision.  An  earnest  business  man  in  New  York 
City  told  me  it  was  not  the  sermon  nor  a  word,  but  just 
a  touch  on  the  shoulder  which  led  him  to  confess 
Christ  before  men.  He  had  already  accepted  Him  as 
Savior,  and  just  needed  this  little  encouragement. 
He  said:  ''While  the  evangelist  was  inviting  all  who 
loved  Christ  to  confess  Him  by  going  forward  and  giv- 
ing him  the  hand,  I  felt  a  gentle  touch  on  my  shoulder. 
I  looked  around  and  saw  the  face  of  an  old  friend 
looking  wistfully  at  me.  He  did  not  utter  a  word,  but 
I  knew  what  he  meant,  and  I  went  right  up  and  gave 
him  my  hand."  This  was  the  beginning  of  a  bus- 
iness man's  Christian  life." 

For  efficient  work  in  the  after-meeting  our  greatest 
need  is  that  we  be  endued  with  the  Holy  Spirit.  And 
this  enduement  comes  in  answer  to  prayer  and  a  com- 
plete surrender  of  the  will  to  God.  Then  the  right 
word  will  be  said  to  the  right  person,  at  the  right 
time,  m  the  right  way. 


HOW  TO   MAKE   THE  WORK 
PERMANENT 

REV.   E.   P.    GOODWIN,   D.D. 

All  ministers  and  Christian  workers  who  have  to  do 
with  evangelistic  efforts  find  great  difficulty  in  secur- 
ing permanent  results.  I  desire  to  name  two  or  three 
methods,  tested  by  much  experience,  which  have 
proved  of  great  value.  Take  first  the  common  experi- 
ence in  nearly  all  revival  meetings.  People  come 
from  everywhere.  If  the  meetings  are  marked  with 
unusual  power  and  are  continued  for  some  length  of 
time,  there  is  sure  to  be  a  considerable  class  of  persons 
interested  not  identified  with  any  church  and  not  under 
the  eye  or  personal  care  of  any  pastor.  Then,  espe- 
cially in  the  great  meetings  conducted  by  noted  revival 
leaders,  multitudes  of  such  are  sure  to  be  gathered  in. 
In  Mr.  Moody's  meetings,  it  was  no  uncommon  thing 
to  find  scores  of  persons  night  after  night  in  an  inquiry- 
room,  and  that  in  my  own  church,  not  one  of  whom 
had  I  ever  seen,  and  most  of  whom  were  never  met 
again  after  the  meetings  ceased.  But  more  or  less  the 
same  is  true  of  all  revival  services  in  our  city  missions 
and  in  all  such  Christian  work.  Therefore,  the  name  and 
address  of  everyone  rising  for  prayer  or  dealt  with  in 
the  inquiry-room  should  be  secured.  Every  such  person 
should  then  be  visited  at  his  home  or  place  of  business 
as  soon  as  possible,  and  again  and  again,  until  fully 
established. 

172 


TO  MAKE  THE  WORK  PERMANENT     173 

In  all  dealing  with  souls,  every  Christian  worker 
will  find  it,  I  am  sure,  of  prime  importance  that  there 
should  be  secured  in  some  way  a  following  up  of  the 
work  by  systematic  Scripture  teaching.  People  need 
something  more  than  impressions  to  hold  them  fast. 
Not  everyone  is  brought  down  by  a  single  arrow  shot 
at  a  venture.  Some  people  have  to  be  shot  full  of 
arrows  before  they  surrender.  Impressions,  impulses, 
half-formed  choices  and  purposes  often  fade  and  lose 
their  grip  after  the  music  and  prayers  are  over.  Men 
need  the  Master  of  the  assembly  with  His  nails  to 
fasten  things  and  make  them  stay.  And  this  is  what 
regular  meetings  for  instruction  do.  Then,  besides, 
there  are  difficulties  to  be  met,  doubts  to  be  removed, 
truths  and  duties  to  be  emphasized  and  pressed  home, 
and  all  this  takes  time.  Few  people  see  and  grasp 
truth  clearly  and  fully  at  a  single  glance,  or  in  an 
hour.  Certainly  if  people  are  to  be  rooted  and 
grounded  so  as  to  stand  fast,  there  must  be  time. 
The  gourd  that  shoots  up  in  a  day  is  like  to  wither  in 
a  night.  Most  converts — yes,  and  most  believers  as 
well — need  line  upon  line,  precept  upon  precept,  here 
a  little  and  there  a  little,  to  make  them  able  to  give  a 
reason  for  the  hope  that  is  in  them.  It  is  a  great 
thing  to  be  established  and  stand  fast  in  the  faith; 
and,  in  order  to  do  this,  nothing,  it  is  safe  to  say,  is  so 
essential  as  the  organizing  of  young  converts  into 
classes  for  stated  and  continuous  instruction  in  the 
Word.  It  is  not  too  much  to  say  that,  without  this,  it 
is  impossible  to  secure  satisfactory  results  in  evangel- 
istic work,  or  growth  and  power  in  Christian  life.  In 
my  judgment,  the  chief  reason  for  the  failure  of  most 
whom  I  have  known  who  have  dropped  away  from 


174  TO  MAKE  THE  WORK  PERMANENT 

their  professions  and  fallen  back  into  the  world,  lies 
in  their  having  no  subsequent  systematic  training. 
They  accepted  the  truth,  had  good  impulses,  sincere 
purposes,  and  meant  to  be  true  followers  of  Christ; 
but  they  were  chiefly  ruled  by  impulses  (had  little 
knowledge  of  truth,  had  no  sufficient  instruction  as  to 
the  meaning  of  the  life  they  had  accepted,  no  adequate 
knowledge  of  the  temptations  of  the  world,  the  wiles 
of  the  adversary,  the  deceitfulness  of  the  heart  or  the 
secret  of  success  in  standing  fast),  and  so,  having  no 
root,  they  withered  away.  If  all  such  sincere  inquir- 
ers after  salvation  could  be  organized  into  classes  for 
Bible  study,  even  for  a  few  weeks,  I  believe  but  very 
few  would  abandon  their  hope.  The  very  agreeing  to 
meet  for  such  instruction  sifts  out  those  who  are  only 
transiently  impressed.  I  should  say  unhesitatingly  that 
where  such  systematic  teaching  is  secured,  permanency 
of  Christian  life  is  almost  certain,  while,  where  it  fails, 
permanency  rarely  results.  I  have  in  mind  one  series 
of  revival  meetings,  with  which  I  had  personally  to 
do,  where  there  was  a  very  large  number  of  professed 
acceptances  of  Christ.  Very  little  thorough  inquiry 
work  was  done,  and,  so  far  as  my  knowledge  goes,  no 
organized  effort  at  instruction  was  attempted.  Out  of 
nearly  three  thousand  cards  signed  by  those  expressing 
a  purpose  to  lead  a  Christian  life,  I  doubt  if  a  hundred 
ever  took  any  step  further.  In  two  of  the  most  ear- 
nestly engaged  churches  but  one  person  ever  came 
forward  upon  profession  of  faith.  For  myself  I  long 
since  ceased  to  expect  results  of  any  value  except  in 
connection  with  such  training. 

I  do  not  mean  to  discredit  all  such  decisions  reached 
in  inquiry-meetings  or  elsewhere,  as  ephemeral.     Let 


TO  MAKE  THE  WORK  PERMANENT  175 

us  hope  that  many  are  truly  turned  then  and  there 
from  darkness  into  light,  and  from  the  power  of  Satan 
unto  God.  But  commonly  only  a  small  percentage  of 
such  prove  effective  in  the  Master's  service.  Our 
churches  are  full  of  those  who  are  like  Gideon's  army: 
— only  a  handful  are  in  dead  earnest  and  to  be  counted 
on  when  the  battle  is  joined.  Bible-trained  workers, 
inspired  with  the  Master's  love  and  equipped  with 
knowledge  as  well  as  zeal,  are  pitifully  few  in  all  our 
churches ;  but  wherever  one  finds  even  a  few  such,  they 
are  worth  a  host  of  others,  for  with  them  victory  is 
sure. 

What  has  been  said  implies  another  condition  of 
great  importance  in  making  evangelistic  work  per- 
manent. I  mean  the  importance  of  making  public 
confession  of  faith  and  becoming  members  of  the  visi- 
ble church  of  Jesus  Christ.  Observe,  I  do  not  say 
that  believers,  those  who  truly  accept  Jesus  Christ  as 
Savior  and  Lord,  are  to  join  this  or  that  particular 
church  organization,  but  the  church  which  the  Holy 
Spirit  meant  when  under  His  guidance  and  control 
the  church  of  Christ  was  organized,  and  believers  were 
by  the  Lord  daily  added  thereto.  What  I  say  now  is  this : 
that  it  is  not  possible  to  fully  meet  the  Lord's  wish 
and  realize  the  larger  measure  of  grace  which  He 
desires  to  bestow,  whether  in  the  development  of  indi- 
vidual Christian  life  or  in  power  to  witness  and  work 
in  His  behalf,  without  public  and  continuous  church 
membership.  I  do  not  say  that  such  persons  cannot 
be  true  believers.  Unquestionably  they  can  be.  The 
test  of  salvation  is  not  the  test  of  visible  church  mem- 
bership. He  that  truly  believes  on  the  Lord  Jesus 
Christ  is  unquestionably  saved.     The  Scripture  plainly 


176  TO  MAKE  THE  WORK  PERMANENT 

declares  that  the  thief  on  the  cross  was  saved  that  way, 
without  any  baptism  and  without  joining  the  church. 
So  was  the  woman  at  the  well,  and  so  of  the  multitudes 
of  others.  But  that  is  not  the  question.  The  ques- 
tion is  this:  Is  such  a  standing  aloof  from  the  visible 
church,  as  so  many  do,  while  yet  in  a  way  performing 
Christian  duty,  meeting  the  wish  of  the  Lord  Jesus 
and  doing  the  work  He  wants  believers  to  do  in  the 
world?  I  say  no,  it  is  not.  If  anything  is  plain  in 
connection  with  the  resurrection  of  the  Lord  Jesus 
and  the  gift  of  the  Holy  Spirit,  it  is  that  our  Lord 
established  his  church,  a  body  of  believers  united  to 
Him  by  the  Holy  Ghost  and  made  thereby  His  Body, 
the  body  of  which  He  is  to  be  everlastingly  the  head, 
and  in  whom  and  with  whom  all  true  believers  are  to 
be  finally  associated  with  Him  in  glory. 

The  Lord  Jesus  was  obviously  not  using  words 
lightly  when  He  commanded  His  disciples  to  observe 
the  Last  Supper,  nor  when,  by  the  light  of  the  Spirit 
He  organized  the  church  and  sent  out  His  disciples  to 
be  His  witnesses  and  go  everywhere  preaching  His 
Gospel  and  calling  upon  men  to  believe  and  be  bap- 
tized. The  Lord's  ideal  of  the  believer,  in  other 
words,  was  of  a  believer  led  by  the  Spirit  and  seeking 
always  and  with  earnest  and  absorbing  purpose  to 
carry  out  his  Lord's  wish  and  do  His  will.  In  the 
very  nature  of  the  case,  therefore,  all  who  desire  to 
honor  Him  and  secure  the  fullest  measure  of  His  favor 
and  power  will  do  as  His  disciples  did — openly  and 
gladly  identify  themselves  with  His  church.  In  no 
other  way  can  they  secure  the  closest  union  with  their 
Lord,  and  in  no  other  way  secure  the  fullest  measure 
of  the  energy  of  the  Holy  Spirit.     He  cannot  so  fully 


TO  MAKE  THE  WORK  PERMANENT  177 

impart  Himself  to  believers  who  stand  aloof  from  what 
Jesus  Christ  Himself  appointed.  There  are  objections 
and  so-called  reasons  for  holding  other  views,  but  in 
my  judgment  they  are  without  Scripture  warrant. 
One  Scripture  truth  runs  through  all  these  teachings 
of  the  book  of  Acts  and  the  Epistles — records  and 
teachings  which  are  divinely  and  infallibly  inspired — 
viz.,  one  body  of  believers  united  by  the  indwelling  of 
the  Holy  Spirit  in  Jesus  Christ,  and  that  one  body 
manifesting  Him  before  all  the  world,  witnessing  His 
Gospel  and  seeking  to  win  men  to  believe  on  Him  unto 
salvation.  So  far  as  these  Scriptures  go,  there  is,  in 
my  judgment,  no  scrap  of  authority  or  permission  to 
stand  aloof  from  public  avowal  of  Jesus  Christ  and 
meanwhile  claim  to  be  doing  His  will  as  much  as  in 
him  lies. 

What,  then,  it  may  be  asked,  as  to  those  who,  like 
Mohammedans,  may  incur  the  penalty  of  death  by 
being  baptized?  It  is  enough  to  say  that  the  Lord 
made  no  exceptions,  and  that  so  far  as  we  know  the 
Apostles  made  none.  Nor  in  general  have  true  believ- 
ers ever  shrunk  from  open  avowals  of  their  faith,  as 
the  massacres  of  Christians  all  through  the  centuries, 
and  these  so  striking  examples  of  believers  in  China 
just  now,  show.  The  Lord  has  always  put  high  honor 
upon  those  who  have  stood  fast  in  the  faith,  and  have 
counted  it  a  joy  to  bear  a  witness  that  cost  even  life 
itself. 

But,  in  our  country,  none  are  called  to  endure  such 
a  test,  and  no  such  reasons  can  be  alleged  for  not  mak- 
ing open  confession.  I  give  it  as  my  deliberate  judg- 
ment that  all  such  standing  aloof  is  nothing  other  than 
a  subtle  device  of  the  great  adversary.     Largely  the 


178  TO  MAKE  THE  WORK  PERMANENT 

reasons  given  when  thoroughly  analyzed  prove  to  be 
excuses  for  worldly  aims  and  practices,  beliefs,  habits 
or  fellowship  condemned  by  the  Word  of  God.  I 
have  never  known  such  a  case  where  I  could  not  detect 
in  my  own  mind  either  a  plain  worldly  reason,  or  an 
unscriptural  belief,  as  the  underlying  cause  of  refusal 
to  make  open  confession  of  faith.  And  I  go  further. 
It  is  a  somewhat  popular  idea  that  there  are  those 
who  can  accomplish  more  in  serving  the  Master  by 
staying  outside  the  church,  and  sometimes  examples 
are  pointed  out  of  those  who  are  shining  illustrations 
of  what  Christian  life  can  be  without  church  profession 
or  obligation.  By  all  means  let  us  recognize  and 
rejoice  in  all  true  believing  in  Jesus  Christ,  whenever 
it  can  be  found,  and  let  us  not  deny  that  there  are  such 
genuine  disciples  whose  names  are  not  upon  any  roll 
of  the  church.  But,  admitting  this,  I  deny  that  such 
are  helping  the  Master  whose  names  they  refuse  pub- 
licly to  own  or  to  wear.  His  own  word  is  decisive : 
** Whosoever  therefore  shall  confess  me  before  men, 
him  will  I  confess  also  before  my  Father  which  is  in 
heaven."  He  organized  His  church  for  all  believers, 
and  gave  His  Holy  Spirit  to  dwell  in  that  church  as 
His  publicly  owned  and  recognized  body.  Into  that 
fellowship  He  calls  all  true  believers  to  come  and  ally 
themselves  by  being  baptized  and  by  participating  in 
the  Lord's  Supper.  Whoever  fails  to  do  either,  fails 
therefore  to  fulfill  to  the  letter  our  Lord's  own 
appointment.  He  may  nevertheless  be  a  sharer  in 
salvation,  as  has  been  already  shown,  but  he  cannot  be 
an  example  of  what  Jesus  Christ  wants  a  believer  both 
to  be  and  to  do,  for  he  has  never  met  and  is  not  meet- 
ing, day  by  day,  Christ's  plain  requirements.     More 


TO  MAKE  THE  WORK  PERMANENT  179 

than  that,  so  long  as  he  stands  aloof  from  the  church, 
he  is  dishonoring  the  very  name  of  Him  to  whom  he 
looks  for  salvation,  and,  practically,  invites  others  to 
disobey  His  commands.  Such  an  example  of  disobedi- 
ence to  the  Lord  and  to  the  Holy  Spirit  would  be  a 
poor  way  to  win  men  to  the  Master's  service. 

More  than  that,  as  a  matter  of  fact,  there  is  no 
greater  hindrance  in  persuading  people  to  rank  them- 
selves upon  the  Lord's  side  than  this  very  attitude  of 
non-professing  believers.  Those  cherishing  secret 
hopes  naturally  say:  '*If  such  non-churchmembers  are 
sure  of  salvation  and  are  examples  of  Christian  living, 
we  are  as  sure  of  salvation  as  they,  and  there  is  no 
need  of  our  joining  the  church."  Every  pastor  in  his 
work  has  this  argument  to  meet. 

Then,  besides  this,  such  non-churchmembers  almost 
universally  stand  away  from  all  the  activity  of  the 
churches.  They  take  no  part  in  prayer-meetings, 
rarely  engage  in  Sunday  School  work,  and  never,  of 
course,  attempt  to  reach  and  bring  in  the  unconverted 
or  in  anywise  bring  them  to  decisions  for  Christ.  In 
the  nature  of  the  case,  they  can  have  no  ardor  for 
revivals,  no  longing  for  souls.  As  a  matter  of  fact, 
they  are  hindrances  instead  of  helps  to  all  aggressive 
Christian  work.  A  community  of  such  non-confessing 
believers  would  never  see  a  revival,  and  I  doubt  very 
much  whether  it  would  ever  win  a  soul.  Jesus  Christ 
wants  His  sheep  brought  into  the  fold.  That  is  the 
only  place  where  they  can  find  safety  and  go  in  and 
out  and  find  pasture,  and  this  fold  is  His  church.  To 
stay  out  is  to  be  puny  and  stunted  and  dwarfed. 

Another  thing  that  needs  to  be  mentioned  and 
emphasized  as  a  condition  of  securing  permanency  in 


i8o  TO  MAKE  THE  WORK  PERMANENT 

evangelistic  work,  is  the  necessity  of  setting  young  con- 
verts  at  work  and  keeping  them  at  it.  Indeed,  that  is 
an  absolute  necessity  for  all  Christians,  old  and  young, 
if  they  are  to  thrive  and  grow.  Weeds  will  flourish  of 
themselves,  but  not  flowers.  They  must  have  care  and 
painstaking,  and  this  must  be  followed  up. 

We  seem  often  to  forget  that  in  dealing  with  new- 
born souls  we  are  dealing  with  children.  Too  often, 
after  such  have  reached  a  decision,  they  are  left  to 
care  for  themselves.  Sometimes  they  are  regarded  as 
too  weak  and  immature  to  be  leaders  of  others.  It  is 
of  course  possible  that  such  may  be  overzealous  and 
unwise;  but,  on  the  whole,  there  is  no  better  way  of 
developing  young  Christians  than  to  set  them  at  work 
reaching  and  bringing  in  others.  The  early  disciples 
may  have  made  mistakes  in  going  forth  as  witnesses 
after  Pentecost;  but,  if  they  did,  we  have  no  record  of 
it.  The  Holy  Spirit,  who  took  possession  of  that  whole 
company  of  believers,  doubtless  qualified  them  for  their 
work,  and  those  whom  the  Lord  added  daily  were 
worthy  of  being  received.  No  doubt  there  is  need  of 
wisdom  and  judgment  in  seeking  souls,  but  where 
harm  is  done  by  one  who  is  overzealous  and  injudi- 
cious, it  is  quite  safe  to  say  that  far  more  harm  results 
from  keeping  the  arms  folded  and  the  lips  shut.  A 
fervent '* Amen"  or  a  "Glory  to  God,"  or  "Hallelujah" 
from  a  new-born  soul  would  not  hurt  a  prayer-meet- 
ing, nor  would  a  misapplication  of  Scripture,  or  a 
prayer  full  of  bad  grammar.  When  a  devout  brother 
with  a  remarkable  history  thanked  the  Lord  in  my 
prayer-meeting  one  night,  that  "He  and  I  had  put  up 
a  big  job  on  him  in  getting  him  converted,"  there 
were  some  smiles,  but  many  hearts  beat  warmer  and 


TO  MAKE  THE  WORK  PERMANENT     i8i 

many  *' Am  ens"  followed  the  prayer.  We  have  little 
need  to  fear  an  excess  of  zeal  in  most  churches.  If 
four-fifths  of  our  church  members  could  be  sent  out 
and  kept  out  doing  some  form  of  Christian  work 
a  part  of  every  week,  they  would  grow  faster 
and  become  more  aggressive  and  stable  and  efficient 
as  believers  than  they  now  are,  and  our  weekly 
meetings  would  be  less  like  refrigerators  than 
they  often  are.  The  best  school  for  training  Chris- 
tians is  trying  to  help  others  by  telling  them  what 
Christ  has  done  for  us.  Paul  kept  repeating  the  story 
of  his  own  conversion,  and  that  won  others  and  helped 
him.  There  is  nothing  safer  or  wiser  for  a  new  con- 
vert than  the  telling  others  how  he  found  salvation. 
The  less  he  tries  to  explain,  philosophically,  how  men 
are  saved,  how  the  Spirit  moves  upon  the  heart,  how 
a  divine  will  gets  a  human  will  to  decide  and  sur- 
render, and  the  more  he  just  sticks  to  what  the  Word 
says  and  what  he  has  found  there,  the  better.  I 
believe  that  was  what  our  Lord  meant  to  have  His  dis- 
ciples do  when  He  said  they  were  to  go  forth  to  the 
ends  of  the  earth  as  His  "witnesses."  They  were  not 
to  argue,  or  make  speeches,  or  persuade  men  by  their 
eloquence,  or  logic,  or  learning.  They  were  only  to 
be  witnesses,  and  tell  to  men  everywhere  what  Jesus 
Christ  had  done  for  them.  And  to-day  this  is,  above 
everything  else,  what  the  world  needs. 

Then,  as  the  new  converts  go  forth,  they  will  of 
course  find  many  forms  of  Christian  activity  in  which 
they  are  needed,  and  can  be  made  most  helpful.  So, 
some  may  become  Sunday  School  teachers,  Bible-class 
teachers,  visitors  among  the  sick  and  poor  and  unfor- 
tunate, workers  in  missions  and  helpers  in  many  other 


i83     TO  MAKE  THE  WORK  PERMANENT 

ways.  Such  work  is  self-developing  and  potential. 
The  Holy  Spirit  delights  to  find  such  pupils  and  very 
quickly  turns  them  into  helpers.  He  opens  the  truth 
to  others,  clears  their  minds  of  misapprehensions, 
strengthens  their  faith,  reinforces  their  zeal  with 
knowledge,  gives  them  fervency  and  power  in  prayer, 
and  in  every' way  increases  their  ability  and  efficiency. 
This  is  clearly  the  way  the  early  disciples  were  devel- 
oped. Their  School  of  Training,  which  for  example 
Paul  so  lovingly  and  gratefully  commends  in  the  last 
chapter  of  Romans,  was  the  school  of  Christian  work 
in  which  they  had  been  mainly  self-taught ;  or,  more 
strictly,  Paul  was  head  master,  and  Phoebe  and  Pris- 
cilla  and  Aquila  his  chief  helpers.  They  and  their 
beloved  associates,  observe,  were  all  pronounced  and 
active  church  members,  and  as  such  they  all  gave 
themselves  to  individual  Christian  work  in  winning 
and  then  helping  to  build  up  believers.  What  is  the 
ideal  way  of  developing  the  church?  Our  Lord 
described  Himself  as  a  man  taking  a  far  journey,  giv- 
ing authority  to  his  servants,  and  ^Uo  every  man  his 
work.'*  There  was  to  be  no  one  to  be  left  idle,  or 
without  some  specific  duty  assigned.  Paul  says  the 
same  thing  when,  in  describing  the  gift  of  the  Spirit, 
which,  it  is  to  be  remembered,  was  a  gift  intended,  as 
at  Pentecost,  for  «//,  he  says:  **But  all  these  [divine 
operations]  worketh  that  one  and  the  self-same  Spirit 
dividing  to  every  man  severally  [individually]  as  He 
will.  * '  No  one  is  left  out ;  or,  in  other  words,  no  one 
who  is  a  true  believer  is  to  be  without  work.  Only 
get  all  true  converts,  and  all  true  church  members 
engaged  in  such  a  fellowship  with  the  Holy  Spirit 
interpenetrating,  energizing,  empowering  all,  and  the 


TO  MAKE  THE  WORK  PERMANENT  183 

mystery  of  revivals  and  adding  daily  to  the  church 
and  hastening  the  Kingdom,  will  be  solved. 

Every  new  convert  should  be  set  immediately  at  the 
daily  study  of  the  Bible.  He  should  be  given  instruc- 
tions in  how  to  study  the  Bible.  Perhaps  the  best 
book  in  the  Bible  for  a  young  convert  to  begin  with  is 
the  Gospel  of  John.  It  is  true  that  this  is  one  of  the 
most  profound  books  in  the  Bible.  But  John  says  that 
he  wrote  it  *'that  ye  may  believe  that  Jesus  is  the 
Christ,  the  Son  of  God;  and  that  believing  ye  may 
have  life  in  His  name."  Now,  this  is  just  what  the 
beginner  needs.  The  Gospel  of  John  may  well  be  fol- 
lowed by  the  Acts  of  the  Apostles.  Then  let  the 
young  convert  study  the  Epistle  to  the  Romans,  and 
then  Ephesians.  Each  of  these  books  should  be  read 
again  and  again.  Topical  study  is  also  good  for  the 
young  convert,  taking  up  such  great  subjects  as  Sin, 
Grace,  the  Blood,  Justification,  Prayer,  the  Holy 
Spirit,  etc.  The  New  Topical  Text  Book  (F.  H. 
Revell)  is  inexpensive  and  useful  for  this  purpose. 

While  the  young  convert  should  study  chiefly  the 
Bible,  there  are  other  books  that  are  very  helpful — 
the  writings  of  D.  L.  Moody,  Andrew  Murray,  F.  B. 
Meyer,  G.  Campbell  Morgan,  G.  H.  C.  MacGregor  and 
R.  A.  Torrey  being  specially  commended.  Many  of 
these  books  are  issued  in  inexpensive  form,  and  cata- 
logues may  be  obtained  from  the  publishers  of  this 
volume. 

In  the  pages  immediately  following  is  reprinted 
*'How  to  Make  a  Success  of  the  Christian  Life," 
which  fittingly  concludes  *'How  to  Make  the  Work 
Permanent."  These  pages  are  published  separately 
as  a  tract  for  circulation  among  new  converts. 


i84     TO  MAKE  THE  WORK  PERMANENT 

HOW   TO   MAKE   A   SUCCESS   OF   THE 
CHRISTIAN    LIFE 

BY   R.   A.    TORREY 

There  are  two  classes  of  persons  who  start  out  in  the 
Christian  life:  those  who  make  a  complete  or  partial 
failure  of  it  and  those  who  make  a  complete  success  of 
it.  The  question  at  once  suggests  itself :  "Is  it  pos- 
sible to  point  out  a  plain  pathway,  in  which  any  one 
who  will  can  walk,  and  following  which  will  make 
success  absolutely  sure?  I  believe  it  is.  I  believe  that 
God's  Word  gives  a  few  simple  instructions  which  if 
followed  will  make  success  in  the  Christian  life  a  cer- 
tainty. 

There  are  seven  steps  in  the  path  marked  out  in  the 
Bible. 

I.  Begin  right.  What  a  right  beginning  is  we  see 
John  i:  12,  "But  as  many  as  received  Him^  to  them 
gave  He  power  to  become  the  sons  of  God,  even  to 
them  that  believe  on  His  name."  Receive  Christ. 
Take  Hint  as  your  Savior  who  died  for  your  sin.  Trust 
the  whole  matter  of  your  forgiveness  to  Him.  Rest 
upon  the  fact  that  he  has  paid  the  full  penalty  of  your 
sin.  2  Cor.  5:21,  "For  He  hath  made  Him  to  be  sin 
for  us,  who  knew  no  sin ;  that  we  might  be  made  the 
righteousness  of  God  in  Him."  Gal.  3:  13,  "Christ 
hath  redeemed  us  from  the  curse  of  the  law,  being 
made  a  curse  for  us :  for  it  is  written,  Cursed  is  every 
one  that  hangeth  on  a  tree."  It  is  in  this  first  step 
that  many  make  a  mistake.  They  try  to  mix  in  their 
good  works  as  a  ground  of  salvation.  They  think  if 
they  are  good  God  will  forgive  them,  because  of 
Christ's  death  and  their  goodness.      Take  Him  as  your 


TO  MAKE  THE  WORK  PERMANENT  185 

Deliverer^  the  one  who  will  save  you  from  the  power 
of  sin,  who  will  quicken  you  when  dead  in  trespasses 
and  sins.  Don't  try  to  save  yourself  from  the  power 
of  sin.  Trust  Him  to  do  it.  Take  Him  as  your 
Master.  Don't  seek  to  guide  your  own  life.  Sur- 
render unconditionally  to  His  lordship  over  you.  Say, 
*M//  for  Jesus."  Many  fail,  because  they  shrink  back 
from  this  entire  surrender.  They  wish  to  serve  Jesus 
with  half  their  heart,  and  part  of  themselves,  and  part 
of  their  possessions.  It  is  a  wretched  life  of  stum- 
bling and  failure,  this  life  of  half-hearted  surrender. 
It  is  a  joyous  life  all  along  the  way,  the  life  of  entire 
surrender.  If  you  have  never  done  it  before  and  wish 
**to  make  a  success  of  the  Christian  life, "  go  alone  with 
God,  get  down  on  your  knees,  and  say,  'M//  for 
Jesus."  Say  it  very  earnestly;  say  it  from  the  bottom 
of  your  heart.  Stay  there  until  you  realize  what  it 
means  and  what  you  are  doing.  It  is  a  wondrous 
step  forward  when  one  really  takes  it.  If  you  have 
taken  it  already,  take  it  again.  Take  it  often.  It 
always  has  fresh  meaning  and  brings  fresh  blessedness. 

Taking  Christ  as  your  Master  involves  obedience  to 
His  will,  as  far  as  you  know  it  in  each  smallest  detail 
of  life.  This  is  one  of  the  most  essential  conditions  of 
receiving  "the  Holy  Ghost,  whom  God  hath  given  to 
them  that  obey  Him."     Acts  5 :  32. 

2.  Confess  Christ  openly  before  men.  Matt.  10:  32, 
"Whosoever  therefore  shall  confess  me  before  men, 
him  will  I  confess  also  before  my  Father  which  is  in 
heaven."  Rom.  10:  10,  "For  with  the  heart  man 
believe th  unto  righteousness;  and  with  the  mouth 
confession  is  made  unto  salvation."  The  life  of  con- 
fession is  the  life  of  full  salvation.     It  is  when  we  con- 


i86  TO  MAKE  THE  WORK  PERMANENT 

fess  Christ  before  men  that  He  confesses  us  before 
**my  Father  in  heaven,"  and  that  the  fullness  of  His 
blessing  comes.  It  does  not  mean  that  we  are  to  con- 
fess Christ  just  once,  as  for  example,  when  we  unite 
with  the  Church,  but  constantly.  The  one  who  would 
make  the  largest  success  of  the  Christian  life  should 
seize  every  opportunity  of  confessing  Christ  before 
men — in  the  home,  in  shopping,  at  work,  in  the  church, 
everywhere.  I  once  hsard  a  wise  old  preacher  say, 
*'If  we  make  a  good  deal  of  Christ,  He  will  make  a 
great  deal  of  us."  How  many  backsliders  fell  away 
from  Christ  at  this  point!  They  went  to  a  new  city, 
or  a  new  place  to  work,  and  neglected  to  confess 
Christ,  and  now  they  are  back  in  the  world. 

3.  Study  the  Word,  i  Pet.  2:2,  "As  newborn 
babes,  desire  the  sincere  milk  of  the  word,  that  ye 
may  grow  thereby."  The  Word  of  God  is  the  soul's 
food.  It  is  the  nourishment  of  the  new  life.  One  who 
neglects  the  Word  cannot  make  much  of  a  success  of 
the  Christian  life.  All  who  get  on  in  the  Christian 
life  are  great  feeders  on  the  Word  of  God.  Here  many 
fail.  Ask  any  backslider,  "Have  you  fed  on  the  Word 
daily?"  I  never  have  found  one  that  could  say  that 
he  had. 

Two  points  on  Bible  reading  are:  first,  read  for  food 
for  your  own  soul ;  second,  read  a  great  deal  on  your 
knees.  The  Bible  has  become  in  some  measure  a  new 
book  to  me  since  I  have  taken  to  reading  it  on  my 
knees. 

4  *'Pray  without  ceasing."  I  Thess.  5:17.  The 
one  who  would  succeed  in  the  Christian  life  must  lead 
a  life  of  prayer.  That  is  easy  enough  if  you  only  set 
about  it.     Have  set  times  for  prayer.     The  rule  of 


TO  MAKE  THE  WORK  PERMANENT     187 

David  and  Daniel,  three  times  a  day,  is  a  good  rule. 
Ps.  55:  17,  "Evening,  and  morning,  and  at  noon,  will 
I  pray,  and  cry  aloud:  and  He  shall  hear  my  voice." 
Dan.  6:  10,  **Now  when  Daniel  knew  that  the  writing 
was  signed,  he  went  into  his  house :  and,  his  windows 
being  open  in  his  chamber  toward  Jerusalem,  he 
kneeled  upon  his  knees  three  times  a  day,  and  prayed, 
and  gave  thanks  before  his  God,  as  he  did  aforetime." 
Begin  the  day  with  thanksgiving  and  prayer — thanks- 
giving for  the  definite  mercies  of  the  past,  prayer  for 
the  definite  needs  of  the  present  day.  Stop  in  the 
midst  of  the  bustle  and  worry  and  temptation  of  the 
day  for  thanksgiving  and  prayer.  Close  the  day  with 
thanksgiving  and  prayer. 

Then  there  should  be  the  special  prayer  in  special 
temptation — when  we  see  the  temptation  approaching. 
Keep  looking  to  God.  "Pray  without  ceasing."  It 
is  not  needful  to  be  on  our  knees  all  the  time.  But 
the  heart  should  be  on  its  knees  all  the  time.  If 
"Satan  trembles  when  he  sees  the  weakest  saint  upon 
his  knees,"  let  us  keep  him  trembling  all  the  time. 
We  should  be  often  on  our  knees,  or  our  faces  literally. 
This  is  a  joyous  life,  free  from  worry  and  care.  Here 
is  the  point  (neglect  of  prayer)  where  many  fail. 

There  are  three  things  for  which  the  one  who  would 
make  a  success  of  the  Christian  life  must  especially 
pray:  first,  for  wisdom,  "If  any  of  you  lack  wisdom, 
let  him  ask  of  God,"  James  1:5;  second,  for  strength, 
"They  that  wait  upon  the  Lord  shall  renew  their 
strength,"  Is.  40:  31 ;  third,  for  the  Holy  Spirit,  "Your 
heavenly  Father  shall  give  the  Holy  Spirit  to  them 
that  ask  Him."  If  you  have  not  yet  received  the  bap- 
tism of  the  Holy  Spirit  you  should  offer  definite  prayer 


i88  TO  MAKE  THE  WORK  PERMANENT 

for  this  definite  blessing  and  definitely  expect  to 
receive  it.  If  you  have  already  received  the  baptism 
of  the  Holy  Spirit  you  should  with  each  new  emer- 
gency of  Christian  work  pray  to  God  for  a  new  filling 
with  the  Holy  Spirit.     Acts  4:  31. 

5.  Go  TO  WORK  FOR  Christ.  Matt.  25:  29,  "For  unto 
every  one  that  hath  shall  be  given,  and  he  shall  have 
abundance:  but  from  him  that  hath  not  shall  be  taken 
away  even  that  which  he  hath."  Note  the  context, 
and  you  will  see  that  this  means,  those  who  use  what 
they  have  will  get  more,  and  those  who  let  what  they 
have  lie  idle  will  lose  even  that.  The  working  Chris- 
tian, the  one  who  uses  his  talents,  whether  few  or 
many,  in  Christ's  service,  is  the  one  who  gets  on  in 
the  Christian  life  here,  and  who  will  hereafter  hear 
the,  *'Well  done,  thou  good  and  faithful  servant,  enter 
thou  into  the  joy  of  thy  Lord. "  Find  some  work  to 
do  for  Christ  and  do  it.  Seek  for  work.  If  it  is  noth- 
ing more  than  distributing  tracts  or  invitations  to 
meetings,  do  it.  Always  be  looking  for  something 
more  to  do  for  Christ,  and  you  will  always  be  receiv- 
ing something  more  fro7n  Christ. 

6.  Give  largely.  Pro  v.  11:25,  "The  liberal  soul 
shall  be  made  fat."  2  Cor.  9:6,  8,  "He  which  soweth 
sparingly  shall  reap  also  sparingly;  and  he  which 
soweth  bountifully  shall  reap  also  bountifully.  And 
God  is  able  to  make  all  grace  abound  toward  you ;  that 
ye,  always  having  all  sufficiency  in  all  things,  may 
abound  to  every  good  work."  Success  and  growth  in 
Christian  life  depends  on  few  things  more  than  upon 
liberal  giving.  A  stingy  Christian  cannot  be  a  grow- 
ing Christian.  It  is  wonderful  how  a  Christian  man 
begins  to  grow  when  he  begins  to  give.     Give  syste- 


TO  MAKE  THE  WORK  PERMANENT     189 

matically.  Set  aside  for  Christ  a  fixed  proportion  of 
all  the  money  or  goods  you  get.  Be  exact  and  honest 
about  it.  Don't  use  it  for  yourself  under  any  circum- 
stances. A  tenth  is  a  good  proportion  to  begin  with. 
Don't  let  it  be  less  than  that.  After  you  have  given 
your  tenth  you  will  probably  soon  learn  the  joy  of  giv- 
ing free-will  offerings  in  addition  to  the  tenth. 

7.  Keep  PUSHING  ON.  Phil.  3:13,  14,  "Brethren,  I 
count  not  myself  to  have  apprehended :  but  this  one 
thing  I  do,  forgetting  those  things  which  are  behind, 
and  reaching  forth  unto  those  things  which  are  before, 
I  press  toward  the  mark  for  the  prize  of  the  high  call- 
ing of  God  in  Christ  Jesus. "  Forget  that  which  lies 
behind;  press  on  to  the  better  things  that  lie  before. 
"Press  on  toward  the  goal  unto  the  prize  of  the  high 
calling  of  God  in  Christ  Jesus"  (R.  V.).  Forget  the 
sins  which  lie  behind.  If  you  fail  anywhere,  if  you 
fall,  don't  be  discouraged,  don't  give  up,  don't  brood 
over  the  sin.  Confess  it  instantly.  Believe  God's 
Word.  I  John  1:9,  "If  we  confess  our  sins,  he  is 
faithful  and  just  to  forgive  us  our  sins,  and  to  cleanse 
us  from  all  unrighteousness.  * '  Believe  the  sin  is  for- 
given; forget  it;  press  on.  Satan  beguiles  many  a 
poor  soul  here.  He  keeps  us  brooding  over  our  fail- 
ures and  sins.  He  even  makes  us  think  this  is  humility, 
as  if  it  were  humility  to  doubt  God's  Word  and  Make 
Him  a  liar  by  not  believing  the  sin  is  forgiven  and  put 
away,  when  He  says  it  is. 

Forget  the  achievements  and  victories  of  the  past 
and  press  on  to  greater.  Here  Satan  cheats  many  of 
us  out  of  the  larger  life.  He  keeps  us  thinking  so 
much  of  what  we  have  already  obtained  and  makes  us 
so  contented  with  it  and  so  puffed  up  over  it,  that  we 


I90  TO  MAKE  THE  WORK  PERMANENT 

come  to  a  standstill,  or  even  backslide.  I  have  seen 
this  in  many  individuals  and  many  churches.  *'How 
well  we  have  done ! ' '  they  think.  Our  only  safety  is 
in  forgetting  those  things  which  are  behind,  and  press- 
ing on.  "Excelsior!"  "Higher!"  should  be  the  soul's 
persistent  cry.  Press  on !  There  is  always  something 
better  ahead.  You  may  have  received  a  second  bless- 
ing, or  a  twenty-second,  but  there  is  still  something 
better  until  we  "come  .  .  .  unto  a  perfect  man,  unto 
the  measure  of  the  stature  of  the  fullness  of  Christ," 
Eph.  4:  13. 

Young  Christian  friends  and  older  Christians,  the 
road  to  certain  success  in  the  Christian  life  is  plain 
enough.  Shall  we  take  it?  The  truths  of  this  tract 
are  familiar;  but  are  you  practicing  them?  Read  them 
over  frequently  and  see  if  there  is  not  some  point  at 
which  you  fail.  If  you  find  there  is,  correct  your  mis- 
take AT  ONCE. 


MUSIC   IN  A  REVIVAL 

D.    B.    TOWNER 

The  day  is  past  when  any  intelligent  person  doubts 
for  a  moment  the  helpfulness  of  singing  in  revival 
services.  The  time  was,  when  some  very  zealous 
people  objected  to  singing  in  church  services,  and  who 
even  now  do  not  encourage  it  to  any  great  extent,  and 
yet  these  same  people  make  the  best  use  of  singing 
that  they  know  how  in  revival  meetings.  Therefore, 
no  matter  what  the  objection  may  be  to  singing  in  the 
regular  church  services,  all  are  agreed  that  for  mission 
and  revival  meetings  singing  is  helpful.  It  would  be 
a  very  easy  matter  to  prove  by  the  Scripture  that  the 
early  Christians  believed  in  singing,  and  that  even  our 
Lord  Himself  approved  of  it  and  engaged  in  it,  but 
that  is  not  the  object  at  this  time.  The  Wesleys  cer- 
tainly were  heartily  in  favor  of  it,  and  made  much  of 
it — and  so  have  all  the  successful  evangelists  from 
their  day  down  to  the  present  time.  It  is  very  gener- 
ally conceded,  we  think,  that  Mr.  Moody  was  the 
prince  of  evangelists,  and  he  perhaps  made  more  of 
singing  than  any  man  of  his  time,  or  before  him,  and 
if  any  one  doubts  the  wisdom  of  his  course  in  this 
direction,  they  have  only  to  listen  to  the  testimony  of 
men  and  women  from  every  country  where  the  Gospel 
has  been  sung,  to  be  convinced  that  the  Gospel  when 
sung  is  as  powerful  to  convert  men  and  women  as  it  is 
when  preached.     One  who  was  an  actress,  but  is  now 

19 1 


192  MUSIC   IN   A   REVIVAL 

an  evangelist,  says  that  the  singing  of  a  Gospel  song 
by  a  company  of  Christian  Endeavorers  in  a  public 
park  of  Chicago  convicted  her  of  her  sin  and  turned 
her  heart  to  God,  and  that  she  was  saved  on  the  spot. 
A  pastor  in  a  large  city  of  this  country  says  that  the 
singing  of  a  man  and  his  wife  brought  him  to  Christ, 
and  these  are  only  two  of  a  great  multitude  who  have 
come  under  our  personal  knowledge,  who  have  been 
led  to  Christ  through  song.  But  one  says,  ** These  are 
isolated  cases,  and  since  so  much  singing  is  done  that 
seemingly  does  not  produce  conviction  of  sin,  does  it 
not  follow  that  singing  is  not  of  much  importance  in 
revival  services?"  Not  at  all,  no  more  than  the  fact 
that  many  sermons  do  not  convict  of  sin  is  proof  that 
there  is  no  power  in  preaching  to  convert  men. 

Singing,  like  preaching,  must  be  of  the  right  sort  to 
be  helpful  in  bringing  souls  to  Christ.  Many  who  are 
disposed  to  use  singing  to  promote  evangelistic  work 
have  erroneous  ideas  about  it.  They  think  that  the 
principal  thing  is  a  fine  solo  singer,  and  it  does  not 
matter  very  much  how  the  people  sing,  or  whether  they 
sing  at  all.  But  quite  the  reverse  is  the  correct  idea. 
While  solos,  duets,  quartets,  etc.,  are  excellent,  the 
greater  power  lies  in  the  singing  of  the  people. 
Therefore,  to  get  the  greatest  help  from  the  singing  in 
a  revival  meeting,  the  people  must  be  made  to  sing. 
Hence  it  is  necessary  that  there  be  a  good  leader,  and 
by  a  good  leader  we  mean  a  man  skilled  in  music, 
filled  with  the  Holy  Ghost,  and  a  love  for  souls,  a  good 
organizer  and  choir  conductor,  a  good  solo  singer,  and 
a  man  with  a  fine  sense  of  the  fitness  of  things.  Such 
a  man  will  be  a  channel  through  which  the  Spirit  can 
work,  and  will  under  God  be  a  power  in  a  revival.     A 


MUSIC   IN   A   REVIVAL  193 

man  may  be  a  splendid  musician  and  have  a  magnifi- 
cent voice,  and  yet  be  of  absolutely  no  use  in  revival 
work  because  he  is  not  a  spiritual  man  and  does  not 
sing  for  the  definite  purpose  of  winning  men  to  Christ. 
Having  the  right  sort  of  a  leader  of  the  singing,  you 
still  must  have  a  suitable  collection  of  hymns  and 
tunes.  I  say  hymns  and  tunes,  because  we  so  often 
see  a  good  hymn  coupled  with  a  poor  tune,  or  a  good 
tune  coupled  with  a  weak  hymn.  In  either  case  the 
result  will  not  be  satisfactory.  Because  of  this  many 
are  opposed  to  the  introduction  of  new  books  and  songs 
in  a  revival.  But  this  should  not  be  the  case,  for  if 
you  have  such  a  leader  as  has  been  described,  and  give 
him  the  selection  of  the  book,  you  have  no  more  to 
fear  than  you  have  in  giving  to  the  Spirit-filled 
preacher  the  choice  of  subjects  he  should  speak  upon, 
or  the  methods  he  shoul  d  employ.  But  so  long  as  the 
selection  of  a  book  is  left  to  a  committee  who  either 
are  not  at  all  musical,  or  else  are  not  in  sympathy  with 
revival  work,  or  want  to  get  the  book  that  costs  the  least 
money,  or  are  prompted  by  any  other  motive  than  to 
obtain  the  book  best  adapted  for  the  work  of  winning 
souls,  you  will  be  crippled  in  the  music.  A  poor  book 
is  dear  at  any  price,  and  does  incalculable  harm  to  the 
meetings.  For  we  say  frankly,  that  many  of  the 
so-called  Gospel  hymns  have  not  a  particle  of  the  Gos- 
pel of  Christ  in  them,  and  many  of  the  tunes  are  such 
an  abomination  to  every  person  with  a  knowledge  of 
or  taste  for  music,  that  even  if  there  is  much  blessed 
and  converting  truth  in  the  hymn  it  is  lost  sight  of  in 
the  dislike  awakened  by  the  bad  tune.  There  are 
two  extremes  which  should  be  avoided  in  choosing 
music   for  evangelistic   meetings:    first,  the  frivolous 


194  MUSIC   IN   A   REVIVAL 

light  songs,  and,  secondly,  the  too  staid  and  grave 
ones.  I  do  not  say  classical,  for  the  term  classical  as 
generally  applied  to  music  is  misleading.  It  is  a  prev- 
alent opinion  that  classical  music  is  difficult,  which  is 
as  great  a  mistake  as  it  would  be  to  measure  hymns 
by  their  length,  or  a  picture  by  its  size.  Many  of  the 
very  simple  tunes  are  truly  classical,  while  much  of 
the  difficult  music  is  anything  but  classical.  It  often 
requires  time  to  determine  whether  a  tune  is  a  classic. 
I  venture  that  very  few,  if  any,  would  have  pro- 
nounced "Old  Hundred"  classic  in  the  year  it  was 
written,  and  yet,  to-day,  no  man  of  any  caliber  would 
pronounce  it  otherwise. 

While  great  care  should  be  exercised  in  the  selection 
of  music  for  revival  meetings,  yet  one  must  not  be 
hypercritical  about  new  songs.  About  twenty  years  ago 
a  committee  of  literary  men  and  musicians  were  com- 
piling a  denominational  hymnbook,  and  certain  hymns 
and  tunes  were  rejected  as  not  being  of  a  high  enough 
order.  But  to-day  those  same  tunes  and  hymns  are  being 
used  in  all  denominational  books  as  they  are  revised 
and  compiled,  and  have  proven  by  their  vitality  that 
they  belong  among  the  classics.  If  a  tune  is  well 
written,  no  matter  how  simple,  don't  be  afraid  to  try 
it.  If  a  hymn  does  not  teach  error,  direct  or  implied, 
don't  be  afraid  to  give  it  a  trial;  but  if  it  does,  no 
matter  what  its  literary  merit  may  be,  let  it  alone. 
Let  it  be  distinctly  understood  that  we  are  not  opposed 
to  the  use  of  old  hymns,  not  by  any  means,  for  quite 
the  contrary  is  the  case.  We  believe  that  the  good 
old  hymns  are  the  heritage  of  the  church,  and  should 
be  regarded  as  such,  and  that  they  should  be  sacredly 
kept  and  perpetuated,  and  that  each  successive  genera- 


MUSIC   IN  A  REVIVAL  195 

tion  should  be  taught  to  sing  them  well,  but  to  hold  on 
to  these  to  the  exclusion  of  the  new  ones  would  be  a 
calamity.  As  new  men  come  on  the  scene,  they 
embody  the  truth  into  new  hymns,  and  it  gives  it  a 
freshness  just  the  same  as  is  the  case  with  a  new  ser- 
mon, and  new  tunes  awaken  new  interest  in  these 
themes,  such  as  the  old  ones  do  not.  As  we  become 
familiar  with  a  tune,  it  gradually  loses  its  power  with 
us,  even  though  we  never  become  tired  of  it.  But  the 
new  tune  arrests  the  attention,  and  gives  the  truth  it 
carries  a  chance  to  enter  the  heart.  Some  people  seem 
to  outlive  their  usefulness,  while  others  never  do.  It 
is  just  so  with  songs.  There  are  those  that  should  be 
m  every  selection,  and  there  are  others  that  seem  to 
have  been  embalmed,  as  it  were,  and  laid  away  in  the 
denominational  books  which  are  never  used.  We  do 
not  object,  they  have  served  well  no  doubt,  now  let 
1  hem  rest  in  peace,  while  others  come  on  and  do  serv- 
ice in  their  turn. 

Then  we  believe  there  is  a  place  for  sentimental 
songs  in  evangelistic  meetings.  By  this  we  mean 
songs  with  a  good  religious  flavor,  on  topics  calling  to 
mind  home  and  dear  ones,  for  through  these  songs  the 
emotions  are  stirred,  and  men  are  frequently  made  to 
think  and  finally  to  repent.  Of  course,  these  songs 
must  be  of  a  high  order,  and  judiciously  used. 

In  short,  what  is  needed  in  revival  or  evangelistic 
meetings  is  hymns  that  contain  a  message  for  the  sin- 
ner, founded  on  the  Word  of  God,  worshipful  hymns 
for  believers,  and  hymns  of  thanksgiving  and  praise, 
written  by  men  and  women  whose  hearts  are  aglow 
with  the  love  of  God,  presented  by  a  leader  who  is  a 
musician  anointed  by  the  Holy  Ghost  for  such  service. 


196  MUSIC   IN   A   REVIVAL 

When  these  conditions  obtain,  the  music  in  evangel- 
istic meetings  will  be  a  mighty  power,  and  no  one  will 
doubt  but  that  it  has  the  approval  of  Almighty  God. 

When  the  soloist  sings  he  should  do  it  with  just  as 
definite  a  purpose  of  leading  some  one  to  Christ  as  the 
preacher  has  when  he  preaches.  He  is  not  there  to 
entertain  people,  but  to  save  people,  and  he  needs  the 
baptism  with  the  Holy  Spirit  for  this  work  just  as 
much  as  the  one  who  preaches  the  Word.  The  same 
is  true  of  the  chorus.  They  should  be  trained  to 
realize  that  the  salvation  of  some  in  the  audience 
hangs  upon  the  way  they  sing  and  the  way  in  which 
they  conduct  themselves.  Both  the  soloist  and  the 
choir  should  come  to  the  meeting  after  very  much  and 
very  definite  prayer  to  God  for  His  blessing  upon  their 
work. 

Mr.  Moody  made  very  much  of  solos  and  quartets 
and  choir  singing  and  congregational  singing,  to  get 
the  audience  into  a  receptive  mood,  so  that  when  he 
preached  his  word  dropped  into  prepared  soil.  He 
would  have  them  sing  and  sing  until  he  saw  just  the 
favorable  moment  had  come,  and  then  he  would  arise 
and  deliver  his  message.  He  attributed  much  of  the 
wonderful  effects  of  that  message  to  this  fact — that  the 
singing  got  the  people  ready  for  it. 

A  suitable  solo  or  duet  or  even  chorus  often  serves 
to  clinch  the  message  and  bring  people  to  immediate 
decision.     It  is  well  for  the  preacher,  oftentimes,  to 

say,  *'Now  I  am  going  to  ask  Mr.  to  sing,  and 

while  he  sings  I  want  to  ask  the  Christians  to  bow 
their  heads  and  pray  God  to  bless  the  song  to  some 
one's  conversion  and  let  the  unsaved  think,  and  when 
the  song  is  ended  I  will  give  all  who  wish  to  accept 


MUSIC   IN   A   REVIVAL  197 

Christ  an  opportunity  to  arise  (or,  come  forward)  and 
say  so  in  that  way. ' '  Music  can  also  be  used  very 
effectively  while  all  the  Christians  are  standing,  by 
asking  all  those  who  wish  to  be  saved  to  come  forward 
while  we  sing  "Just  as  I  Am,"  or  some  similar  hymn 
of  invitation.  People  should  be  so  familiarized  with 
a  few  choice  hymns  that  they  can  sing  them  v/ithout 
a  book  while  kneeling  at  the  altar  or  bowing  in 
prayer.  Many  a  successful  revival  campaign  has  been 
signalized  by  one  or  more  hymns  that  have  been  the 
keynote  of  the  whole  movement,  and  were  not  only 
sung  again  and  again  at  the  meetings,  but  on  the 
streets,  on  the  cars,  in  the  home,  and  everywhere. 

In  the  great  reformation  under  Martin  Luther  in 
Germany,  the  historic  Huguenot  movement  in  France, 
the  Methodist  revival  in  England  and  America,  hymns 
were  one  of  the  mightiest  instruments  used  of  God  to 
spread  and  perpetuate  the  work.  If  we  are  wise  we 
shall  make  much  of  holy  song  in  the  great  revival  upon 
which  we  are  now  entering. 


ADVERTISING  THE  MEETINGS 

A.    F.    GAYLORD 

This  subject  is  of  far  more  importance  than  the 
average  minister  or  the  average  church  realizes. 
One  great  reason  why  so  many  of  our  churches  have 
such  a  small  attendance  is  because  the  people  are  not 
made  to  know  what  is  going  on,  or  that  the  meetings 
are  important,  by  frequent  and  judicious  advertising. 
By  wise  and  persistent  advertising  the  vacant  seats  in 
most  of  our  churches  could  be  filled.  Many  churches 
do  not  give  this  subject  a  second  thought ;  but  up-to- 
date  business  men  are  saying  constantly:  ** This  ad- 
vertising pays,"  or,  "That  advertising  doesn't  pay." 
The  church  of  Jesus  Christ  would  do  well  to  adopt 
many  ideas  from  the  commercial  world  relative  to 
making  important  work  known.  The  old  saying, 
"The  best  tie  to  connect  business  men  with  the  public 
is  to  advertise, "  is  as  true  to-day  as  when  first  uttered. 
In  announcements  for  the  Lord's  Day  and  other  meet- 
ings of  the  church,  too  great  emphasis  is  laid  upon 
reaching  the  church-goers.  One  of  the  chief  purposes, 
if  not  the  paramount  purpose,  of  the  church  is  to  reach 
the  unsaved.  The  unsaved,  as  a  rule,  are  within  hear- 
ing of  the  Gospel,  but  the  majority  of  them  are  not  in 
actendance  at  our  churches.  C.  H.  Spurgeon  used  to 
say  that  if  you  could  get  people  to  thinking  you  could 
get  results.  Just  so ;  if  we  can  get  people  to  thinking 
of  the  church  and  of  their  own  responsibility  thereto,  we 

198 


ADVERTISING  THE   MEETINGS         199 

can  get  results.  The  writer  was  much  struck  recently 
by  an  illustration  in  a  leading  paper.  The  saloon, 
brilliantly  lighted  within,  the  sidewalk  in  front  clean, 
and  everything  bright  and  attractive,  holding  out  every 
inducement  to  the  young  man  from  the  country  who 
has  just  reached  the  city,  was  illustrated  in  one  cartoon. 
In  another  cartoon  was  represented  the  church  with 
this  announcement:  **Open  Sunday  and  Wednesday 
evenings. ' '  The  sidewalk  in  front  was  covered  with 
snow  and  not  a  single  light  was  to  be  seen.  This  is 
a  true  picture  of  many  of  our  well-equipped  metro- 
politan churches.  Statistics  show  that  every  year 
thousands  of  young  men  from  the  rural  sections  flock 
to  the  cities.  Many  of  them,  while  in  the  country, 
have  the  advantages  of  church-life,  and  are  brought 
up  under  the  influences  of  Christian  homes ;  but,  when 
they  reach  the  city,  they  fall  among  less  godly  com- 
panions, and  forget  their  early  training.  It  is  the  busi- 
ness of  the  church  to  reach  these  young  men.  Just 
how  to  reach  them  every  church  and  every  organization 
must  decide  for  itself,  with  a  due  regard  to  its  environ- 
ment. 

The  little  weekly  bulletin  announcing  the  church, 
its  services  and  its  church  motto,  together  with  when 
and  where  the  pastor  may  be  seen,  is  a  very  attractive 
way  of  reaching  many.  At  all  times,  and  on  all  occa- 
sions, a  large  bulletin-board  close  to  the  church, 
announcing  in  an  attractive  way  the  speaker  and  his 
subjects,  has  proved  a  great  help,  as  all  who  have 
tried  the  bulletin  know. 

It  is  also  well  to  place  permanent  bulletin-boards 
where  a  great  many  people  pass  on  foot  or  in  the  cars. 
The  bulletins  should  be  large  enough  to  be  read  from 


200         ADVERTISING  THE   MEETINGS 

the  cars,  and  there  should  be  frequent  changes  of  mat- 
ter, so  that  people  will  learn  to  watch  to  see  what  is 
going  on. 

One  of  the  best  ways  of  advertising  is  by  the  use  of 
the  large  three  and  twenty-five  sheet  bulletin-boards. 
They  are  expensive,  but  experience  demonstrates  that, 
when  they  have  been  used  to  advertise  evangelistic 
and  other  special  meetings,  they  have  accomplished 
great  results.  All  the  bill-boards  of  a  large  city  were 
utilized  recently  for  notices  of  special  revival  services. 
These  notices  were  found  in  every  part  of  the  city. 
The  newspaper  people  noticed  them,  felt  that  some- 
thing important  was  going  on,  and  reported  the  meet- 
ings daily. 

A  church  may  be  well  known  in  its  own  locality  and 
city,  but  the  pastor  may  be  more  widely  known ;  and 
his  name,  appearing  in  a  striking  way  on  the  bulletin- 
board,  often  attracts  people  who  do  not  care  for  the 
church,  but  who  wish  to  hear  him  speak. 

There  is  perhaps  no  better  plan  for  the  bulletin  than 
that  followed  by  Mr.  Moody  in  his  wide  evangelistic 
work.  He  always  used  a  white  background  with 
plain  black  letters — letters  that  could  be  read  a  block 
away.  As  an  auxiliary  to  the  large  bulletin,  Mr.  Moody 
made  use  very  frequently  of  the  free-admission  ticket 
— thus  creating  a  personal  tie  between  the  meeting 
and  the  recipient. 

At  the  weekly  prayer-meeting  and  other  meetings, 
the  co-operation  of  each  individual  member  of  the 
church  should  be  obtained.  They  should  be  handed 
all  the  tickets  that  they  will  take  and  judiciously  dis- 
tribute. These  tickets  should  have  printed  upon  them 
the  name  and  location  of  the  church,  the  name  of  the 


ADVERTISING  THE   MEETINGS         201 

pastor,  and  also  the  subjects  for  the  morning  and  even- 
ing services.  It  is  well  to  have  some  striking  text 
printed  upon  the  back  of  the  ticket.  Distributing  these 
tickets  is  work  that  any  Christian  can  do.  What  mat- 
ter if  many  tickets  are  wasted  ? — many  bullets  are 
wasted  in  a  war. 

A  very  useful  form  of  advertisement  is  an  attractive 
card  about  the  size  of  the  regulation  visiting-card,  neatly 
printed,  inviting  people  to  the  chuich  service,  and 
reading,  in  the  corner,  "Presented  by,"  with  a  blank 
space  for  the  name  of  the  person  immediately  respon- 
sible for  the  invitation.  Members  of  the  church 
should  be  encouraged  to  carry  these  cards  in  their 
pockets,  signed  by  their  own  hand,  and  to  give  them 
out  to  people  whom  they  meet  in  business,  socially, 
on  the  train  or  in  any  other  way. 

In  villages  and  cities  where  members  of  the  church 
have  stores  and  business-houses,  a  plain  window  bul- 
letin-board, from  twenty-four  to  thirty  inches  wide, 
with  black  letters  announcing  the  church,  its  pastor 
and  when  the  services  are  held,  keeps  before  the  eyes 
of  the  passers-by  the  fact  that  the  church  is  at  least 
wide-awake  and  has  something  to  offer.  Experience 
has  shown  that  passers-by  are  attracted  by  these 
things  and  remark  upon  the  activity  of  the  church 
and  are  drawn  to  attend  it.  Why  should  not  the  church 
be  as  zealous  and  wide-awake  in  the  business  for 
which  it  stands  as  is  the  business  man  for  the  dollars 
and  cents  that  he  may  make  while  here?  In  one  case 
it  is  things  temporal ;  in  the  other,  things  eternal. 

Small  window-cards,  twelve  by  eighteen  inches, 
printed  so  that  they  can  be  read  from  the  street,  are 
very  useful  for  special  meetings — not  only  in  revival 


202         ADVERTISING  THE   MEETINGS 

services,  but  at  Easter,  Christmas,  Thanksgiving  or 
other  special  occasions.  These  should  be  handed 
around  among  the  members  of  the  church  and  their 
friends  to  hang  up  in  their  windows.  During  a  presi- 
dential campaign  the  majority  of  us  are  quite  willing 
to  wear  the  emblem  of  the  party  with  which  we  intend 
to  cast  our  vote,  or  to  hang  our  candidate's  picture 
in  the  front  window,  or  some  other  conspicuous  place, 
and  politicians  say  that  much  good  is  accomplished  in 
this  way.  We  know  that  much  good  is  accomplished 
by  these  window-cards  in  advertising  religious  meet- 
ings. A  man  who  had  placed  one  of  these  cards  in  his 
window  sat  behind  the  curtain  at  another  window  and 
watched  the  people  passing  by.  Men,  women  and 
children  of  all  classes  stopped  and  read  the  sign 
through.  Much  good  is  accomplished  by  placing  a 
pointed  text  in  the  window  where  people  may  read  it. 
Many  have  been  blessed  by  these  texts.  A  recent 
appeal  from  the  pastor  of  the  church  with  which 
I  am  connected  brought  the  hearty  co-operation  of  the 
members  to  put  these  cards  in  their  windows,  and 
this  one  church  gave  out  several  hundred  of  them. 
When  a  large  number  of  these  cards  are  noticed  on 
different  streets,  they  at  once  awaken  comment  on 
the  part  of  the  passers-by.  They  wonder  what  is 
going  on,  and  go  to  the  church  to  find  out.  The  great 
object  is  to  set  the  people  to  thinking  about  the  meet- 
ings and  about  Christ. 

In  cities,  the  advertisements  in  our  surface  and  ele- 
vated cars,  and  on  the  platforms  of  elevated  lines, 
are  read  by  thousands  of  persons. 

We  have  found  transparencies  very  useful.  They 
consist  of  a  wooden  frame  from  eighteen  to  twenty- 


ADVERTISING  THE   MEETINGS         203 

four  inches  in  length  and  about  twelve  inches  high, 
with  white  linen  around  the  four  sides,  on  which  are 
printed  in  black  letters  the  announcements  of  the 
meetings.  To  the  wooden  bottom  tallow  candles  are 
secured.  When  these  are  carried  about  in  the  evening 
they  do  more  to  attract  people  than  the  most  artistic 
printed  matter.  Perhaps  the  novelty  of  the  thing  is 
the  strongest  point  in  its  favor.  As  many  as  pos- 
sible of  these  transparencies  should  be  sent  out  every 
evening.  Sometimes  it  is  well  to  organize  the  whole 
corps  of  transparency-bearers  into  a  procession  and 
send  it  through  the  more  thickly  populated  part  of  the 
city. 

In  connection  with  special  evangelistic  meetings 
recently  held  in  the  city  of  Chicago,  a  van  eighteen 
feet  long  and  ten  feet  high  was  covered  with  black 
cloth,  on  which  was  painted  in  white  letters  the 
announcement  of  the  meetings  and  speaker.  This  was 
driven  up  and  down  the  main  thoroughfares  of  the 
city  and  was  read  by  thousands.  Many  say  these 
things  are  undignified;  but  they  fill  the  churches 
and  result  in  bringing  men  to  Christ.  Not  a  few 
churches  are  dying  from  dignity.  The  up-to-date 
business-house  sacrifices  dignity  in  order  to  achieve 
results.  The  writer  has  been  greatly  impressed  with 
the  fact  that  the  average  church  or  religious  institu- 
tion falls  far  below  the  high  standard  established  and 
maintained  by  successful  business-houses. 

A  thorough  canvass  of  the  locality  where  a  church 
is  located  is  very  effective.  The  names  of  all  non- 
church  goers  should  be  secured.  There  should  be  a 
well-organized  corps  from  some  of  the  organizations 
of  the  church  to  do  the  work,  and  it  should  be  done  in 


204         ADVERTISING   THE    MEETINGS 

as  short  a  time  as  possible.  An  invitation  should  be 
left  at  every  house  and,  later,  after  all  the  names  are 
secured,  a  postal-card  announcing  the  services  of  the 
church,  with  a  kind  invitation  from  the  executive 
committee  or  the  pastor,  should  be  sent  to  each  per- 
son. These  should  be  followed  up  by  a  personal  let- 
ter. What  fails  to  reach  one  will  reach  another. 
Here  again  a  lesson  may  well  be  drawn  from  the  busi- 
ness man,  who  is  all  the  time  gathering  the  names  of 
prospective  customers  and,  if  he  or  his  agent  is 
unable  to  call  in  person,  he  sends  a  letter  soliciting  an 
order,  or  in  some  way  puts  his  work  before  the  desired 
customer.  Certainly  a  church  should  be  as  zealous 
and  aggressive  in  winning  men  to  Christ  as  a  business- 
house  is  in  winning  customers.  I  have  recently  sent 
out  many  letters  of  this  kind  and  not  one  has  been 
returned. 

The  great  question  is,  How  can  an  interest  be 
aroused  in  the  church? — and  every  possibility  of  reach- 
ing those  who  do  not  want  to  be  reached  should  be 
* '  pushed  for  all  there  is  in  it. "  A  wise  advertising  com- 
mittee of  not  more  than  two — better  still  one — which 
prayerfully  considers  each  and  every  step  to  be  taken 
before  any  printed  matter  is  issued,  and  the  hearty 
co-operation  of  those  who  assist  in  getting  out  such 
printed  matter,  is  certain  to  accomplish  large  results 
in  reaching  those  for  whom  the  church  of  Christ  was 
established. 

In  all  our  advertising  we  should  not  forget  nor 
neglect  the  newspapers.  Most  newspapers  are  will- 
ing to  assist  to  the  utmost  of  their  ability  in  pushing 
the  work  of  any  church  that  shows  itself  alive  and 
aggressive.     If  notices  and  descriptions  of  meetings, 


ADVERTISING   THE   MEETINGS        205 

and  outlines  of  sermons  and  othes:  interesting  matter 
is  sent  to  them,  they  will  publish  it.  They  will  even 
send  reporters  to  the  meetings  ir  there  is  anything 
worth  reporting;  but  it  is  not  fair  to  leave  it  to  the 
papers  to  find  out  what  is  going  on,  when  it  is  our 
interest  more  than  theirs  that  is  in  hand.  Many  min- 
isters and  churches  complain  of  not  getting  satisfactory 
reports  in  the  newspapers,  but  they  are  more  to 
blame  than  the  newspapers.  They  think  that  the 
newspapers  ought  to  know  that  they  are  alive  and 
important;  but  newspaper  men  are  very  busy  men 
and,  though  quite  ubiquitous,  they  are  not  omnipresent. 
Not  a  few  abuse  the  newspapers  and  then  wonder 
why  the  newspapers  do  not  support  them.  It  is  well 
sometimes  to  utilize  the  advertising  columns  of  the 
newspapers.  If  this  is  done,  an  attractive  advertise- 
ment should  be  put  in  the  amusement  column,  for  that 
is  the  column  of  advertisements  read  by  people  look- 
ing for  some  place  to  go,  by  travelers  and  commercial 
men,  the  very  class  which  the  church  wishes  to  reach 
and  oftentimes  fails  to  reach.  A  very  large  church 
that  we  know,  whose  audiences  usually  filled  the  lower 
floor  only,  advertised  a  special  evening  service,  with 
the  subject,  in  the  amusement  columns  of  the  papers. 
The  next  Sunday  evening  the  church  was  filled  upstairs 
and  downstairs.  Perhaps  800  or  1,000  additional 
people  were  present.  The  church  did  not  keep  up  this 
special  advertising  for  more  than  a  week  or  so,  but  it 
has  kept  full  from  that  day  to  this,  though  five  years 
have  passed. 

The  best  kind  of  advertising  of  all  is  done  by  get- 
ting individuals  to  go  after  individuals.  They  should 
be    encouraged    to   be     persistent,    going    after    the 


2o6         ADVERTISING  THE   MEETINGS 

same  persons  time  and  time  again,  at  least  until  they 
come. 

Of  course  no  kind  of  advertising-,  no  matter  how 
expensive  or  thorough,  will  do  permanent  good  unless 
there  is  something  in  the  meeting  to  which  people  are 
invited  that  is  worth  going  for.  Furthermore,  the 
people  who  are  brought  in  by  the  advertising  should 
be  given  a  hearty  welcome  by  the  church.  This  is 
a  matter  that  needs  constant  watchfulness,  care  and 
prayer. 


HOW  TO  WIN  SOULS  FOR  CHRIST 

C.  H.  SPURGEON,  ADDRESS  TO   OPEN  AIR  "PREACHERS, "  1 887 

It  is  a  great  privilege  to  have  to  speak  to  so  noble  a 
band  of  preachers ;  I  wish  that  I  were  more  fit  for  the 
task.  Silver  of  eloquent  speech  and  gold  of  deep 
thought  have  I  none ;  but  such  as  I  have,  give  I  unto 
you. 

Concerning  the  winning  of  souls :  What  is  it  to  win 
a  soul?  I  hope  you  believe  in  the  old-fashioned  way 
of  saving  souls.  Everything  appears  to  be  shaken 
nowadays,  and  shifted  from  the  old  foundations.  It 
seems  that  we  are  to  evolve  out  of  men  the  good  that 
is  already  in  them:  much  good  may  you  get  if  you 
attempt  the  process !  I  am  afraid  that  in  the  process 
of  evolution  you  will  develop  devils.  I  do  not  know 
much  else  that  will  come  out  of  human  nature,  for 
manhood  is  as  full  of  sin  as  an  egg  is  full  of  meat ;  and 
the  evolution  of  sin  must  be  everlasting  mischief.  We 
all  believe  that  we  must  go  to  soul-winning,  desiring 
in  God's  name  to  see  all  things  made  new.  This  old 
creature  is  dead  and  corrupt,  and  must  be  buried ;  and 
the  sooner  the  better.  Jesus  has  come  that  there  may 
be  a  passing  away  of  the  old  things,  and  a  making  of 
all  things  new.  In  the  process  of  our  work,  we 
endeavor  to  bless  men  by  trying  to  make  them  tem- 
perate; may  God  bless  all  work  of  that  sort!  But 
we  should  think  ourselves  to  have  failed  if  we  had 
produced  a  world  of  total  abstainers,  and  had  left  them 
all  unbelievers.     We  drive  at  something  more  than 

ao7 


2o8       HOW  TO  WIN  SOULS  FOR  CHRIST 

temperance ;  for  we  believe  that  men  must  be  born 
again.  It  is  good  that  even  a  corpse  should  be  clean, 
and  therefore  that  the  unregenerate  should  be  moral. 
It  would  be  a  great  blessing  if  they  were  cleansed  of 
the  vices  which  make  this  city  to  reek  in  the  nostrils 
of  God  and  good  men.  But  that  is  not  so  much  our 
work  as  this:  that  the  dead  in  sin  should  live,  that 
spiritual  life  should  quicken  them,  and  that  Christ 
should  reign  where  the  prince  of  the  power  of  the  air 
now  hath  sway.  You  preach,  brethren,  with  this 
object,  that  men  may  quit  their  sins,  and  fly  to  Christ 
for  pardon,  that  by  His  blessed  Spirit  they  may  be 
renovated,  and  become  as  much  in  love  with  every- 
thing that  is  holy  as  they  are  now  in  love  v/ith  every- 
thing that  is  sinful.  You  aim  at  a  radical  cure;  the  ax 
is  laid  at  the  root  of  the  trees ;  the  amendment  of  the 
old  nature  would  not  content  you,  but  you  seek  for  the 
imparting,  by  a  divine  power,  of  a  new  nature,  that 
those  who  gather  round  you  in  the  streets  may  live 
unto  God. 

Our  object  is  to  turn  the  world  upside  down;  or,  in 
other  words,  that  where  sin  abounded  grace  may  much 
more  abound.  We  are  aiming  at  a  miracle :  it  is  well 
to  settle  that  at  the  commencement.  Some  brethren 
think  that  they  ought  to  lower  their  note  to  the  spirit- 
ual ability  of  the  hearer;  but  this  is  a  mistake. 
According  to  these  brethren,  you  ought  not  to  exhort 
a  man  to  repent  and  believe  unless  you  believe  that  he 
can,  of  himself,  repent  and  believe.  My  reply  is  a 
confession:  I  command  men  in  the  name  of  Jesus  to 
repent  and  believe  the  Gospel,  though  I  know  they  can 
do  nothing  of  the  kind  apart  from  the  grace  of  God; 
for  I  am  not  sent  to  work  according  to  what  my  private 


HOW  TO  WIN  SOULS  FOR  CHRIST       209 

reason  might  suggest,  but  according  to  the  orders  of 
my  Lord  and  Master.  Ours  is  the  miraculous  method 
which  comes  of  the  endowment  of  the  Spirit  of  God, 
who  bids  His  ministers  perform  wonders  in  the  name 
of  the  holy  child,  Jesus.  We  are  sent  to  say  to  blind 
eyes,  "See,"  to  deaf  ears,  "Hear,"  to  dead  hearts, 
"Live,"  and  even  to  Lazarus  rotting  in  that  grave, 
wherein,  by  this  time,  he  stinketh, — "Lazarus,  come 
forth."  Dare  we  do  this?  We  shall  be  wise  to  begin 
with  the  conviction  that  we  are  utterly  powerless  for 
this  unless  our  Master  has  sent  us,  and  is  with  us. 
But  if  He  that  sent  us  is  with  us,  all  things  are  pos- 
sible to  him  that  believeth.  O  preacher,  if  thou  art 
about  to  stand  up  to  see  what  thou  canst  do,  it  will  be 
thy  wisdom  to  sit  down  speedily ;  but  if  thou  standest 
up  to  prove  what  thine  almighty  Lord  and  Master  can 
do  through  thee,  then  infinite  possibilities  lie  about 
thee !  There  is  no  bound  to  what  God  can  accomplish 
if  He  works  by  thy  heart  and  voice.  The  other  Sab- 
bath morning,  before  I  entered  the  pulpit,  when  my 
dear  brethren,  the  deacons  and  elders  of  this  church, 
gathered  about  me  for  prayer,  as  they  are  wont  to  do, 
one  of  them  said,  "Lord,  take  him  as  a  man  takes  a 
tool  in  his  hand  when  he  gets  a  firm  hold  of  it,  and 
then  uses  it  to  work  his  own  will  with  it. "  That  is 
what  all  workers  need ;  that  God  may  be  the  worker 
by  them.  You  are  to  be  instruments  in  the  hands  of 
God;  yourselves,  of  course,  actively  putting  forth  all 
your  faculties  and  forces  which  the  Lord  has  lent  to 
you;  but  still  never  depending  upon  your  personal 
power,  but  resting  alone  upon  that  sacred,  mysterious, 
divine  energy  which  worketh  in  us,  and  by  us,  and 
with  us,  upon  the  hearts  and  minds  of  men. 


2IO      HOW  TO  WIN  SOULS  FOR  CHRIST 

Brethren,  we  have  been  greatly  disappointed,  have 
we  not,  with  some  of  our  converts?  We  shall  always 
be  disappointed  with  them  so  far  as  they  are  our  con- 
verts. We  shall  greatly  rejoice  over  them  when  they 
prove  to  be  the  Lord's  work.  When  the  power  of 
grace  works  in  them  (** Glory!")  then  it  will  be,  as  my 
brother  says,  *' Glory!"  and  nothing  else  but  glory;  for 
grace  brings  glory,  but  mere  oratory  will  only  create 
sham  and  shame  in  the  long  run.  When  we  are 
preaching,  and  we  think  of  a  very  pretty,  flowery  pas- 
sage, a  very  neat,  poetical  paragraph,  I  wish  we  could 
be  restrained  by  that  fear  which  acted  upon  Paul  when 
he  said  that  he  would  not  use  the  wisdom  of  words, 
**lest  the  cross  of  Christ  should  be  made  of  none 
effect. "  It  is  the  duty  of  the  Gospel  preacher,  indoors 
or  outdoors,  to  say,  "I  can  say  that  very  prettily,  but 
then  they  might  notice  how  I  said  it ;  I  will,  therefore, 
so  say  it  that  they  will  only  observe  the  intrinsic  value 
of  the  truth  which  I  would  teach  them."  It  is  not  our 
way  of  putting  the  Gospel,  nor  our  method  of  illus- 
trating it,  which  wins  souls,  but  the  Gospel  itself  does 
the  work  in  the  hands  of  the  Holy  Ghost,  and  to  Him 
we  must  look  for  the  thorough  conversion  of  men.  A 
miracle  is  to  be  wrought  by  which  our  hearers  shall 
become  the  products  of  that  mighty  power  which  God 
wrought  in  Christ  when  He  raised  Him  from  the  dead, 
and  set  Him  at  His  own  right  hand  in'  the  heavenly 
place  far  above  all  principality  and  power;  and  for 
this  we  must  look  out  of  ourselves  to  the  living  God. 
Must  we  not?  We  go  in,  then,  for  thorough,  down- 
right conversion;  and  therefore  we  fall  back  upon  the 
power  of  the  Holy  Spirit.  If  it  be  a  miracle,  God 
must  work  it,  that  is  clear;   it  is  not  to  be  accom- 


HOW  TO  WIN  SOULS  FOR  CHRIST      211 

plished  by  our  reasoning,  or  persuasion,  or  threaten- 
ing; it  can  only  come  from  the  Lord. 

In  what  way^  since  the  winning  of  souls  lies  here^  can 
we  hopefully  expect  to  be  endowed  with  the  Spirit  of 
God^  and  to  go  forth  in  His  power?  I  reply,  that  a 
great  deal  depends  upon  the  condition  of  the  man  him- 
self. I  am  persuaded  we  have  never  laid  enough 
stress  on  the  work  of  God  within  our  own  selves  in  its 
relation  to  our  service  of  God.  A  consecrated  man 
may  be  charged  with  the  divine  energy  to  the  full,  so 
that  everybody  round  about  him  must  perceive  it. 
They  cannot  tell  what  it  is,  nor  whence  it  comes,  nor, 
perhaps,  whither  it  goes ;  but  there  is  something  about 
that  man  which  is  far  beyond  the  common  order  of 
things.  At  another  time  that  same  person  may  be 
feeble  and  dull,  and  be  conscious  to  himself  that  he  is 
so.  See !  he  shakes  himself  as  at  other  times,  but  he 
can  do  no  mighty  deed.  It  is  clear  that  Samson  him- 
self must  be  in  a  right  condition,  or  he  can  win  no  vic- 
tories. If  the  champion's  locks  be  shorn,  the  Philistines 
will  laugh  at  him ;  if  the  Lord  be  gone  from  a  man,  he 
has  no  power  left  for  useful  service.  Dear  brethren, 
look  carefully  to  your  own  condition  before  God. 
Take  care  of  the  home  farm ;  look  well  to  your  own 
flocks  and  herds.  Unless  your  walk  be  close  with 
God,  unless  you  dwell  in  that  clear  light  which  sur- 
rounds the  throne  of  God,  and  which  is  only  known  to 
those  who  are  in  fellowship  with  the  Eternal,  you  will 
go  forth  from  your  chamber,  and  hasten  to  your  work, 
but  nothing  will  come  of  it.  The  vessel,  it  is  true,  is 
but  an  earthen  one ;  yet  it  has  its  place  in  the  divine 
arrangement,  but  it  will  not  be  filled  with  the  divine 
treasure  unless  it  is  a  clean  vessel,  and  unless  in  other 


212       HOW  TO  WIN  SOULS  FOR  CHRIST 

respects  it  is  a  vessel  fit  for  the  Master's  use.  Let  me 
show  you  some  ways  in  which  much  must  depend  in 
soul-winning  upon  the  man  himself. 

IVe  win  some  souls  to  Christ  by  acting  as  witnesses. 
We  stand  up  and  testify  for  the  Lord  Jesus  Christ  con- 
cerning certain  truths.  Now,  I  have  never  had  the 
great  privilege  of  being  bamboozled  by  a  barrister.  I 
have  sometimes  wondered  what  I  should  do  if  I  were 
put  into  the  witness-box  to  be  examined  and  cross- 
examined.  I  think  I  should  simply  stand  up,  and  tell 
the  truth  as  far  as  I  knew  it,  and  should  not  make  an 
attempt  to  display  my  wit,  or  my  language,  or  my 
judgment.  If  I  simply  gave  straightforward  answers 
to  his  questions,  I  should  beat  any  lawyer  under 
heaven.  But  the  difficulty  is,  that  so  often  when  a 
witness  is  put  into  the  box,  he  is  more  conscious  of 
himself  than  of  what  he  has  to  say;  therefore,  he  is 
soon  worried,  teased,  and  bored,  and,  by  losing  his 
temper,  he  fails  to  be  a  good  witness  for  the  cause. 
Now,  you  men  in  the  open  air  are  often  bamboozled; 
the  devil's  barristers  are  sure  to  come  to  you,  he  has  a 
great  number  of  them  constantly  retained  in  his  serv- 
ice. The  one  thing  you  have  to  do  is  to  bear  witness 
to  the  truth.  If  you  enquire  in  your  own  mind,  "How 
shall  I  answer  this  man  cleverly,  so  as  to  get  a  victory 
over  him?"  you  will  not  be  wise.  A  witty  answer  is 
often  a  very  proper  thing ;  at  the  same  time,  a  gracious 
answer  is  better.  Try  to  say  to  yourself:  *'It  does 
not,  after  all,  matter  whether  that  man  proves  me  to  be 
a  fool  or  not,  for  I  know  that  already.  I  am  content 
to  be  thought  a  fool  for  Christ's  sake,  and  not  to  care 
about  my  reputation.  I  have  to  bear  witness  to  what 
I  know,  and  by  the  help  of  God  I  will  do  so  right 


HOW  TO  WIN  SOULS  FOR  CHRIST       213 

boldly.  If  the  interrupter  questions  me  about  other 
things,  I  shall  tell  him  that  I  do  not  come  to  bear  wit- 
ness about  other  matters,  but  this  one  thing  I  do.  To 
one  point  I  will  speak,  and  to  no  other." 

Brethren,  the  witnessing  man,  then,  must  himself  be 
saved,  and  he  should  be  sure  of  it.  I  do  not  know 
whether  you  doubt  your  own  salvation.  Perhaps  I 
should  recommend  you  to  preach  even  when  that  is  the 
case ;  since,  if  5^ou  are  not  saved  yourself,  you  yet  wish 
others  to  be.  You  do  not  doubt  that  you  once  enjoyed 
full  assurance ;  and  now,  if  you  have  sorrowfully  to 
confess,  '*Alas!  I  do  not  feel  the  full  power  of  the 
Gospel  on  my  own  heart,"  you  can  truly  add,  '*Yet  I 
know  that  it  is  true,  for  I  have  seen  it  save  others,  and 
I  know  that  no  other  power  can  save  me. ' '  Perhaps 
even  that  faltering  testimony,  so  truly  honest,  might 
bring  a  tear  into  your  opponent's  eye,  and  make  him 
feel  sympathy  for  you.  "I  preached,"  said  John  Bun- 
yan,  "sometimes  without  hope,  like  a  man  in  chains  to 
men  in  chains,  and  when  I  heard  my  own  fetters  rat- 
tle, yet  I  told  others  that  there  was  deliverance  for 
them,  and  I  bade  them  look  to  the  great  Deliverer." 
X  would  not  have  stopped  Mr.  Bunyan  in  preaching  so. 
At  the  same  time,  it  is  a  great  thing  to  be  able  to 
declare  from  your  own  personal  experience  that  the 
Lord  hath  broken  the  gates  of  brass,  and  cut  the  bars 
of  iron  in  sunder.  Those  who  hear  our  witness  say  : 
**Are  you  sure  of  it?"  Sure  of  it?  I  am  as  sure  of  it 
as  I  am  sure  that  I  am  a  living  man.  They  call  this 
dogmatism.  Never  mind  about  that.  A  man  ought  to 
know  what  he  is  preaching  about,  or  else  let  him  sit 
down.  If  I  had  any  doubt  about  the  matters  I  preach 
from  this  pulpit,  I  should  be  ashamed  to  remain  the 


214      HOW  TO  WIN  SOULS  FOR  CHRIST 

pastor  of  this  church ;  but  I  preach  what  I  do  know, 
and  testify  what  I  have  seen.  If  I  am  mistaken  I  am 
heartily  and  intensely  mistaken ;  and  I  risk  my  soul 
and  all  its  eternal  interests  upon  the  truth  of  what  I 
preach.  If  the  Gospel  of  what  I  preach  does  not  save 
me,  I  shall  never  be  saved,  for  what  I  proclaim  to 
others  is  my  own  personal  ground  of  trust.  I  have  no 
private  lifeboat ;  the  ark  to  which  I  invite  others  holds 
myself  and  all  that  I  have. 

A  good  witness  ought  himself  to  know  all  that  he  is 
going  to  say ;  he  should  feel  himself  at  home  in  his 
subject.  He  is  brought  up  as  a  witness,  say,  in  a  cer- 
tain case  of  robbery ;  he  knows  what  he  saw,  and  has 
to  make  a  declaration  of  that  only.  They  begin  to 
question  him  about  a  picture  in  the  house,  or  the  color 
of  a  dress  which  was  hanging  in  the  wardrobe.  He 
answers:  *'You  are  going  beyond  my  record;  I  can 
only  witness  to  that  which  I  saw. "  What  we  do  know, 
and  what  we  do  not  know,  would  make  two  very  large 
books,  and  we  may  safely  ask  to  be  let  alone  as  to  the 
second  volume. 

Brother,  say  what  you  know,  and  sit  down.  But  be 
calm  and  composed  while  speaking  of  that  with  which 
you  have  personal  acquaintance.  You  will  never 
properly  indulge  your  emotions  in  preaching,  so  as  to 
feel  at  home  with  the  people  until  you  are  at  home 
with  your  subject.  When  you  know  what  you  are  at, 
you  will  have  your  mind  free  for  earnestness.  Unless 
you  open-air  preachers  know  the  Gospel  from  the 
beginning  to  end,  and  know  where  you  are  in  preach- 
ing it,  you  cannot  preach  with  due  emotion;  but 
when  you  feel  at  home  with  your  doctrine,  stand  up 
and  be  as  bold  and  earnest  and  importunate  as  you 


HOW  TO  WIN  SOULS  FOR  CHRIST      215 

please.  Face  the  people  feeling  that  you  are  going  to 
tell  them  something  worth  hearing,  about  which  you 
are  quite  sure,  which  to  you  is  your  very  life.  There 
are  honest  hearts  in  every  outdoor  assembly,  and  every 
indoor  assembly  too,  that  only  want  to  hear  honest 
beliefs,  and  they  will  accept  them  and  be  led  to 
believe  in  the  Lord  Jesus  Christ. 

But  you  are  not  only  witnesses^  you  are  pleaders  for 
the  Lord  Jesus  Christ.  Now,  in  a  pleader,  much 
depends  upon  the  man.  It  seems  as  if  the  sign  and 
token  of  Christianity  in  some  preachers  was  not  a 
tongue  of  fire,  but  a  block  of  ice.  You  would  not  like 
to  have  a  barrister  stand  up  and  plead  your  cause  in  a 
cool,  deliberate  way,  never  showing  the  slightest  care 
about  whether  you  were  found  guilty  of  murder  or 
acquitted.  How  could  you  endure  his  indifference 
when  you  yourself  were  likely  to  be  hanged?  Oh,  no! 
you  wish  to  silence  such  a  false  advocate.  So,  when  a 
man  has  to  speak  for  Christ,  if  he  is  not  in  earnest,  let 
him  go  to  bed.  You  smile ;  but  is  it  not  better  that  he 
should  go  to  bed  than  send  a  whole  congregation  to 
sleep  without  their  going  to  bed?  Yes,  we  must  be  in 
downright  earnest.  If  we  are  to  prevail  with  men,  we 
must  love  them.  There  is  a  genuine  love  to  men  that 
some  have,  and  there  is  a  genuine  dislike  to  men  that 
others  have.  I  know  gentlemen,  whom  I  esteem  in  a 
way,  who  seem  to  think  that  the  working  classes  are  a 
shockingly  bad  lot,  to  be  kept  in  check,  and  governed 
with  vigor.  With  such  views  they  will  never  convert 
workingmen.  To  win  men,  you  must  feel :  "I  am  one 
of  them.  If  they  are  a  sad  lot,  I  am  one  of  them ;  if 
they  are  lost  sinners,  I  am  one  of  them ;  if  they  need  a 
Savior,    I   am  one  of  them."     To  the  very  chief  of 


ai6      HOW  TO  WIN  SOULS  FOR  CHRIST 

tinners  you  should  preach  with  this  text  before  you: 
''Such  were  some  of  you."  Grace  alone  makes  us  to 
differ,  and  that  grace  we  preach.  Genuine  love  to 
God  and  fervent  love  to  man  make  up  the  great  quali- 
fications for  a  pleader. 

I  further  believe,  although  certain  persons  deny  it, 
that  the  influence  of  fear  is  to  be  exercised  over  the 
minds  of  men,  and  that  it  ought  to  operate  upon  the 
mind  of  the  preacher  himself.  "Noah,  moved  with 
fear,  prepared  an  ark  to  the  saving  of  his  house." 
There  was  salvation  for  this  world  from  perishing  in 
the  flood  in  the  fears  of  Noah ;  and  when  a  man  gets  to 
fear  for  others,  so  that  his  heart  cries  out,  "They  will 
perish,  they  will  perish,  they  will  sink  to  hell,  they  will 
be  forever  banished  from  the  presence  of  the  Lord," 
and  when  this  fear  oppresses  his  soul  and  weighs  him 
down,  and  then  drives  him  to  go  out  and  preach  with 
tears,  oh,  then  he  will  plead  with  men  so  as  to  prevail ! 
Knowing  the  terror  of  the  Lord,  he  will  persuade  men. 
To  know  the  terror  of  the  Lord  is  the  means  of  teach- 
ing us  to  persuade,  and  not  to  speak  harshly.  Some 
have  used  the  terrors  of  the  Lord  to  terrify ;  but  Paul 
used  them  to  persuade.  Let  us  copy  him.  Say  "We 
have  come  out  to  tell  you,  men  and  brethren,  that  the 
world  is  on  fire,  and  you  must  flee  for  your  lives,  and 
escape  to  the  mountain,  lest  ye  be  consumed."  We 
must  give  this  warning  with  the  full  conviction  that  it 
is  true,  or  else  we  shall  be  but  as  the  boy  who  in  fool- 
ishness cried  "Wolf!"  Something  of  the  shadow  of 
the  last  tremendous  day  must  fall  upon  our  spirit  to 
give  the  accent  of  conviction  to  our  message  of  mercy, 
or  we  shall  miss  the  pleader's  true  power.  Brethren, 
we  must  tell  men  that  there  is  pressing  need  of  a  Sav- 


HOW  TO  WIN  SOULS  FOR  CHRIST      217 

ior,  and  show  them  that  we  ourselves  perceive  theif 
need  and  feel  for  them,  or  else  we  are  not  likely  to 
turn  them  to  the  Savior. 

He  that  pleads  for  Christ  should  himself  be  moved 
with  the  prospect  of  the  judgment  day.  When  I  come 
in  at  yonder  door  at  the  back  of  the  pulpit,  and  the 
sight  of  that  vast  crowd  bursts  upon  me,  I  frequently 
feel  appalled.  Think  of  these  thousands  of  immortal 
souls  gazing  through  the  windows  of  those  wistful 
eyes,  and  I  am  to  preach  to  them  all,  and  be  respon- 
sible for  their  blood  if  I  be  not  faithful  to  them.  I 
tell  you,  it  makes  me  feel  ready  to  start  back.  But 
then  fear  is  not  alone.  I  am  borne  up  by  the  hope  and 
belief  that  God  intends  to  bless  these  people  through 
the  Word  which  He  will  enable  me  to  deliver.  I 
believe  that  everybody  in  that  throng  is  sent  there  by 
God  for  some  purpose,  and  that  I  am  sent  to  effect 
that  purpose.  I  often  think  to  myself,  when  I  am 
preaching:  "Who  is  being  converted  now?"  It  never 
occurs  to  me  that  the  Word  of  the  Lord  will  fail.  No, 
that  can  never  be.  I  often  feel  sure  that  men  are 
being  converted,  and  at  all  times  that  God  is  glorified 
by  the  testimony  of  His  truth.  You  may  depend  upon 
it  that  your  hopeful  conviction  that  God's  Word  can- 
not return  to  Him  void  is  a  great  encouragement  to 
your  hearers  as  well  as  to  yourself.  Your  enthusiastic 
confidence  that  they  will  be  converted  may  be  like  the 
little  finger  of  a  mother  held  out  to  her  babe,  to  help 
it  to  make  its  way  to  her.  The  fire  within  your  hearts 
may  dart  a  spark  into  their  souls  by  which  the  flame 
of  spiritual  life  shall  be  kindled  in  them.  Do  let  us  all 
learn  the  art  of  pleading  with  the  souls  of  men. 

Still,  dear  open-air  preachers,  and  all  of  you  Chris- 


ii8      HOW  TO  WIN  SOULS  FOR  CHRIST 

tian  people  here,  we  have  not  only  to  be  witnesses  and 
pleaders^  but  we  have  also  to  be  examples.  One  of  the 
most  successful  ways  of  taking  wild  ducks  is  the  use  of 
the  decoy  bird.  The  decoy  duck  enters  the  net  itself, 
and  the  others  follow  it.  We  need  to  use  more,  in  the 
Christian  Church,  the  holy  art  of  decoy ;  that  is  to  say, 
our  example,  in  ourselves  coming  to  Christ,  in  our- 
selves living  godly  lives  in  the  midst  of  a  perverse 
generation,  our  example  of  joy  and  sorrow,  our  exam- 
ple of  holy  submission  to  the  divine  will  in  the  time  of 
trouble,  our  example  in  all  manner  of  gracious  ways, 
will  be  the  means  of  inducing  others  to  enter  the  way 
of  life.  You  cannot,  of  course,  stand  up  in  the  street 
and  tell  of  your  example;  but  there  is  no  street- 
preacher  who  is  not  known  better  than  he  thinks. 
Some  one  in  that  crowd  may  be  in  the  secret  of  the 
speaker's  private  life.  I  once  heard  of  an  out-of-doors 
preacher,  to  whom  a  hearer  cried  out,  **Ah,  Jack,  you 
dare  not  preach  like  that  at  your  own  door!"     It  so 

happened,    unfortunately,    that    Mr.    John had 

offered  to  fight  one  of  his  neighbors  a  little  while 
before,  and  therefore  it  was  not  likely  that  he  would 
have  done  much  preaching  very  near  home.  This 
made  the  interruption  an  awkward  one.  If  any  man's 
life  at  home  is  unworthy,  he  should  go  several  miles 
away  before  he  stands  up  to  preach,  and  then,  when  he 
stands  up,  he  should  say  nothing.  They  know  us, 
brethren ;  they  know  far  more  about  us  than  we  imag- 
ine, and  what  they  do  not  know  they  make  up.  At 
the  same  time,  our  walk  and  conversation  should  be 
the  most  powerful  part  of  our  ministry.  This  is  what 
is  called  being  consistent^  when  lips  and  life  agree. 
My  time   is  short;    but  I  must  say  a  word    upon 


HOW  TO  WIN  SOULS  FOR  CHRIST       219 

another  point.  I  have  said  that  the  working  of  the 
Holy  Spirit  depends  largely  upon  the  man  himself, 
but  I  am  bound  to  add  that  much  will  also  depend  upon 
the  kind  of  people  that  are  round  about  the  preacher. 
An  open-air  preacher  who  has  to  go  out  quite  alone 
must  be  in  a  very  unfortunate  position.  It  is 
extremely  helpful  to  be  connected  with  an  earnest,  liv- 
ing church  which  will  pray  for  you ;  and  if  you  cannot 
find  such  a  church  where  you  labor,  the  next  best  thing 
is  to  get  half  a  dozen  brothers  or  sisters  who  will  back 
you  up,  and  go  out  with  you,  and  especially,  will  pray 
with  you.  Some  preachers  are  so  independent  that 
they  can  do  without  helpers,  but  they  will  be  wise  if 
they  do  not  affect  solitude.  May  they  not  look  at  the 
matter  in  this  way;  By  bringing  in  half  a  dozen  men 
to  go  out  with  me  I  shall  be  doing  good  to  these  young 
men,  and  shall  be  training  them  to  be  workers?  If 
you  can  associate  with  yourself  half  a  dozen  who  are 
not  all  very  young  men,  but  somewhat  advanced  in 
their  knowledge  of  divine  truth,  the  association  will  be 
greatly  to  your  mutual  advantage.  I  confess  to  you 
all  that,  although  God  has  largely  blessed  me  in  His 
work,  yet  none  of  the  credit  is  due  to  me  at  all,  but  to 
those  dear  friends  at  the  Tabernacle,  and  indeed,  all 
over  the  world,  who  make  me  the  special  subject  of 
their  prayers.  A  man  ought  to  do  well  with  such  a 
people  around  him  as  I  have.  My  dear  friend  and 
deacon,  Mr.  William  Olney,  once  said:  "Our  minister 
has  hitherto  led  us  forward,  and  we  have  followed 
heartily.  Everything  has  been  a  success ;  do  you  not 
believe  in  his  leadership?"  The  people  cried  *'Yes." 
Then  said  my  dear  friend:  *'If  our  pastor  has  brought 
us  tip  to  a  ditch  which  looks  as  if  it  could  not  be 


220      HOW  TO  WIN  SOULS  FOR  CHRIST 

passed,  let  us  fill  it  up  with  our  bodies,  and  carry  him 
across,"  This  was  grand  talk;  the  ditch  was  filled; 
nay,  it  seemed  to  fill  itself  up  at  once.  If  you  have  a 
true  comrade,  your  strength  is  more  than  doubled. 
What  a  blessing  is  a  good  wife!  You  women,  who 
would  not  be  in  your  right  place  if  you  began  to  preach 
in  the  streets,  you  can  make  your  husbands  happy  and 
comfortable  when  they  come  home,  and  that  will  make 
thejn  preach  all  the  better!  Some  of  you  can  even 
help  in  another  way  if  you  are  prudent  and  gentle. 
You  can  tenderly  hint  that  your  spouse  was  a  little  out 
of  line  in  certain  small  matters,  and  he  may  take  your 
hint,  and  put  himself  right.  A  good  brother  once 
asked  me  to  give  him  some  instruction,  and  he  pleaded 
thus:  *'The  only  instructor  I  have  had  was  my  wife, 
who  had  a  better  schooling  than  fell  to  my  lot.  I  used 
to  say:  *We  was,'  and  *Us  did  it,'  and  she  quietly 
hinted  that  people  might  laugh  at  me  if  I  did  not 
attend  to  grammar."  His  wife  thus  became  to  him  a 
professor  of — of  English  language,  and  was  worth  her 
weight  in  gold  to  him,  and  he  knew  it.  You  who  have 
such  helpers  ought  to  thank  God  daily  for  them. 

Next  to  this,  it  is  a  very  great  assistance  to  join  in 
brotherly  league  with  some  warm-hearted  Christian 
who  knows  more  than  we  do,  and  will  benefit  us  by 
prudent  hints.  God  may  bless  us  for  the  sake  of 
others  when  He  might  not  bless  us  for  our  own.  You 
have  heard,  I  dare  say,  the  moiikish  story  of  the  man 
who  had  preached,  and  had  won  many  souls  to  Christ, 
and  congratulated  himself  upon  it.  One  night,  it  was 
revealed  to  him  that  he  should  have  none  of  the  honor 
of  it  at  the  last  great  day ;  and  he  asked  the  angel  in 
his  dream  who  then  would  have  the  credit  of  it,  and 


HOW  TO  WIN  SOULS  FOR  CHRIST       221 

the  angel  replied:  **That  deaf  old  man  who  sits  on  the 
pulpit  stairs  and  prays  for  you,  was  the  means  of  the 
blessing. '  *  Let  us  be  thankful  for  that  deaf  man,  or 
that  old  woman,  or  those  poor,  praying  friends  who 
bring  down  a  blessing  upon  us  by  their  intercessions. 
The  Spirit  of  God  will  bless  two  when  He  might  not 
bless  one.  Abraham  alone  did  not  get  one  of  the  five 
cities  saved,  although  his  prayer  was  like  a  ton  weight 
in  the  scale ;  but  yonder  was  his  nephew  Lot,  who  was 
about  the  poorest  lot  that  could  be  found.  He  had 
not  more  than  half  an  ounce  of  prayer  in  him ;  but 
that  tiny  fragment  turned  the  scale,  and  Zoar  was  pre- 
served. Add  then  your  odd  half-ounce  to  the  mightier 
weight  of  the  pleadings  of  eminent  saints,  for  they 
may  need  it.  Dear  brethren^  if  we  are  going  to  win 
souls ^  we  must  go  in  for  downright  labor  and  hard  work. 

And,  first,  we  must  work  at  our  preaching.  You  are 
not  getting  distrustful  of  the  use  of  preaching,  are  you? 
("No.")  I  hope  you  do  not  weary  of  it,  though  you 
certainly  sometimes  must  weary  in  it.  Go  on  with 
your  preaching.  Cobbler,  stick  to  your  last ;  preacher, 
stick  to  your  preaching.  In  the  great  day,  when  the 
muster-roll  shall  be  read,  of  all  those  who  are  con- 
verted through  fine  music,  and  church  decoration,  and 
religious  exhibitions  and  entertainments,  they  will 
amount  to  the  tenth  part  of  nothing ;  but  it  will  always 
please  God  by  the  foolishness  of  preaching  to  save 
them  that  believe.  Keep  to  your  preaching ;  and  if 
you  do  anything  beside,  do  not  let  it  throw  your 
preaching  into  the  background.  In  the  first  place 
preach  and  in  the  second  place  preach  and  in  the 
third  place  preach. 

Believe  in  preaching  the  love  of  Christ,  believe  in 


222       HOW  TO  WIN  SOULS  FOR  CHRIST 

preaching  the  atoning  sacrifice,  believe  in  preaching 
the  new  birth,  believe  in  preaching  the  whole  counsel 
of  God.  The  old  hammer  of  the  Gospel  will  still  break 
the  rock  in  pieces ;  the  ancient  fire  of  Pentecost  will 
still  burn  among  the  multitude.  Try  nothing  new, 
but  go  on  with  preaching,  and  if  we  all  preach  with 
the  Holy  Ghost  sent  down  from  heaven,  the  results  of 
preaching  will  astound  us.  Why,  there  is  no  end,  after 
all,  to  the  power  of  the  tongue !  Look  at  the  power  of 
a  bad  tongue,  what  great  mischief  it  can  do ;  and  shall 
not  God  put  more  power  into  a  good  tongue,  if  we  will 
but  use  it  aright?  Look  at  the  power  of  fire,  a  single 
spark  might  give  a  city  to  the  flames;  even  so,  the 
Spirit  of  God  being  with  us,  we  need  not  calculate  how 
much,  or  what  we  can  do:  there  is  no  calculating  the 
potentialities  of  a  flame,  and  there  is  no  end  to  the 
possibilities  of  divine  truth  spoken  with  the  enthusiasm 
which  is  born  of  the  Spirit  of  God.  Have  great  hope 
yet,  brothers,  have  great  hope  yet,  despite  yon  shame- 
less midnight  streets,  despite  yon  flaming  gin-palaces 
at  the  corner  of  every  street,  despite  the  wickedness  of 
the  rich,  despite  the  ignorance  of  the  poor.  Go  on! 
go  on!  go  on!  In  God's  name,  go  on!  for  if  the  preach- 
ing of  the  Gospel  does  not  save  men,  nothing  will.  If 
the  Lord's  own  way  of  mercy  fails,  then  hang  the  skies 
in  mourning,  and  blot  out  the  sun  in  everlasting  mid- 
night, for  there  remaineth  nothing  before  our  race  but 
the  blackness  of  darkness.  Salvation  by  the  sacrifice 
of  Jesus  is  the  ultimatum  of  God.  Rejoice  that  it 
cannot  fail.  Let  us  believe  without  reserve,  and 
then  go  straight  ahead  with  the  preaching  of  the 
Word. 

True-hearted  open-air  preachers  will  be  sure  to  join 


HOW  TO  WIN  SOULS  FOR  CHRIST      223 

with  their  preaching  very  much  earnest  private  talk. 
What  numbers  of  persons  have  been  converted  in  this 
Tabernacle  by  the  personal  conversation  of  certain 
brothers  here,  whom  I  will  not  further  indicate !  They 
are  all  about  this  place  while  I  am  preaching!  I 
recollect  that  a  brother  was  speaking  to  me  one  Mon- 
day night,  and  suddenly  he  vanished  before  he  finished 
the  sentence  which  he  was  whispering.  I  never  quite 
knew  what  he  was  going  to  say ;  but  I  speedily  saw 
him  in  that  left-hand  gallery,  sitting  in  the  pew  with  a 
lady  unknown  to  me.  After  the  service,  I  said  to  him, 
** Where  did  you  go?"  and  he  said:  "A  gleam  of  sun- 
light came  in  at  the  window,  and  made  me  see  a  face 
which  looked  so  sad  that  I  hurried  upstairs,  and  took 
my  seat  in  the  pew  close  to  the  woman  of  a  sorrowful 
countenance."  '* Did  you  cheer  her?"  "Oh,  yes!  she 
received  the  Lord  Jesus  very  readily;  and  just  as  she 
did  so  I  noticed  another  eager  face,  and  I  asked  her  to 
wait  in  the  pew  till  after  the  service,  and  I  went  after 
the  other — a  young  man. "  He  prayed  with  both  of 
these,  and  would  not  be  satisfied  until  they  had  given 
their  hearts  to  the  Lord.  That  is  the  way  to  be  on  the 
alert.  We  need  a  body  of  sharpshooters  to  pick  out 
their  men  one  by  one.  When  we  fire  great  guns  from 
the  pulpit  execution  is  done,  but  many  are  missed. 
We  want  loving  spirits  to  go  round,  and  deal  with  in- 
dividual cases  in  the  singular  by  pointed  personal  warn- 
ings and  encouragements.  Every  open-air  preacher 
should  not  only  address  the  hundreds,  but  he  should 
be  ready  to  pounce  upon  the  ones,  and  he  should  have 
others  with  him  who  have  the  same  happy  art.  How 
much  more  good  would  come  of  preaching  in  the 
streets  if  every  open-air  preacher  were  accompanied 


224       HOW  TO  WIN  SOULS  FOR  CHRIST 

by  a  batch  of  persons  who  would  drive  his  nails  home 
for  him  by  personal  conversation ! 

Last  Sunday  night,  my  dear  brother  told  us  a  little 
story  which  I  shall  never  forget.  He  was  at  Croydon 
Hospital  one  night,  as  one  of  those  appointed  to  visit 
it.  All  the  porters  had  gone  home,  and  it  was  time  to 
shut  up  for  the  night.  He  was  the  only  person  in  the 
hospital,  with  the  exception  of  the  physician,  when  a 
boy  came  running  in,  saying  that  there  was  a  railway 
accident,  and  someone  must  go  round  to  the  station 
with  a  stretcher.  The  doctor  said  to  my  brother: 
*'Will  you  take  one  end  of  the  stretcher  if  I  take  the 
other?"  "Oh,  yes!"  was  the  cheerful  reply;  and  so 
away  went  the  doctor  and  the  pastor  with  the  stretcher. 
They  brought  a  sick  man  back  with  them.  My  brother 
said:  **I  went  often  to  the  hospital  during  the  next 
week  or  two,  because  I  felt  so  much  interest  in  the 
man  whom  I  had  helped  to  carry."  I  believe  he  will 
always  take  an  interest  in  that  man,  because  he  once 
felt  the  weight  of  him.  When  you  know  how  to  carry 
a  man  on  your  heart,  and  have  felt  the  burden  of  his 
case,  you  will  have  his  name  engraven  upon  your  soul. 
So  you  that  privately  talk  to  people,  you  are  feeling 
the  weight  of  souls;  and  I  believe  that  this  is  what 
many  regular  preachers  need  to  know  more  of,  and 
then  they  will  preach  better. 

When  preaching  and  private  talk  are  not  available, 
you  have  a  tract  ready ^  and  this  is  often  an  effectual 
method.  Some  tracts  would  not  convert  a  beetle: 
there  is  not  enough  in  them  to  interest  a  fly.  Get 
good,  striking  tracts,  or  noua  at  all.  But  a  telling, 
touching  Gospel  tract  may  often  be  the  seed  cf  eternal 
life ;  therefore,  do  not  go  out  without  your  tracts. 


HOW  TO  WIN  SOULS  FOR  CHRIST      225 

I  suppose,  beside  giving  a  tract,  if  you  can,  you  try 
and  find  out  where  a  person  lives  who  frequently  hears 
you,  that  you  may  give  him  a  call.  What  a  fine  thing 
is  a  visit  from  an  open-air  preacher!  '*Why,"  says  the 
woman,  "there  is  that  man  come  to  see  you,  Bill;  that 
gentleman  who  preaches  at  the  corner  of  the  street. 
Shall  I  tell  him  to  come  in?"  "Oh,  yes!"  is  the  reply; 
"I  have  heard  him  many  times;  he  is  a  good  fellow." 
Visit  as  much  as  you  can,  for  it  will  be  of  use  to  your- 
selves as  well  as  to  the  people. 

What  power  there  is  also  in  a  letter  to  an  individual! 
Some  people  still  have  a  kind  of  superstitious  rever- 
ence for  a  letter ;  and  when  they  get  an  earnest  epistle 
from  one  of  you  reverend  gentlemen,  they  think  a 
great  deal  of  it;  and  who  knows? — a  note  by  post  may 
hit  the  man  your  sermon  missed.  Young  people  who 
are  not  able  to  preach  might  do  much  good  if  they 
would  write  letters  to  their  young  friends  about  their 
souls;  they  could  speak  very  plainly  with  their  pens, 
though  they  might  be  diffident  in  speaking  with  their 
tongues.  Let  us  save  men  by  all  the  means  under 
heaven ;  let  us  prevent  men  going  down  to  hell.  We 
are  not  half  as  earnest  as  we  ought  to  be.  Do  you  not 
remember  the  young  man,  who,  when  he  was  dying, 
said  to  his  brother:  "My  brother,  how  could  you  have 
been  so  indifferent  to  my  soul  as  you  have  been?" 
He  answered:  "I  have  not  been  indifferent  to  your 
soul,  for  I  have  frequently  spoken  to  you  about  it. '  * 
**Oh,  yes!"  he  said,  "you  spoke,  but  somehow,  I  think, 
if  you  had  remembered  that  I  was  going  down  to  hell, 
you  would  have  been  more  earnest  with  me;  you 
would  have  went  over  me,  and,  as  my  brother,  you 


226       HOW  TO  WIN  SOULS  FOR  CHRIST 

would  not  have  allowed  me  to  be  lost."     Let  no  one 
say  this  of  you. 

But  I  hear  it  observed  that  most  fellows,  when  they 
grow  earnest,  do  such  odd  things,  and  say  such  strange 
things.  Let  them  say  strange  things,  and  let  them  do 
strange  things,  if  these  come  out  of  genuine  earnest- 
ness. We  do  not  want  pranks  and  performances  which 
are  the  mere  sham  of  earnestness ;  but  real  white-heat 
earnestness  is  the  want  of  the  times,  and  where  you 
see  that^  it  is  a  pity  to  be  too  critical.  You  must  let  a 
great  storm  rage  in  its  own  way.  You  must  let  a  liv- 
ing heart  speak  as  it  can.  If  you  are  zealous,  and  yet 
cannot  speak,  your  earnestness  will  invent  its  own 
method  of  working  out  its  purpose.  As  Hannibal  is 
said  to  have  melted  the  rocks  with  vinegar,  so  earnest- 
ness will  one  way  or  another  dissolve  the  rocky  hearts 
of  men.  May  the  Spirit  of  God  rest  upon  you,  one  and 
all,  for  Jesus  Christ's  sake!     Amen. 


THE  GREAT  REVIVAL 

AN    ADDRESS    ON    THE    REVIVAL    OF    1857 
AND    1858 

DELIVERED     ON     SABBATH     MORNING,   MARCH    28,     1 858,    BY 

THE  REV.   C.   H.    SPURGEON,    AT    THE    MUSIC 

HALL,   ROYAL    SURREY    GARDENS 

"The  Lord  hath  made  bare  his  holy  arm  in  the  eyes  of  all  the 
nations;  and  all  the  ends  of  the  earth  shall  see  the  salvation  of  our 
God. " — Isaiah  £2 :  10. 

When  the  heroes  of  old  prepared  for  the  fight  they 
put  on  their  armor;  but  when  God  prepares  for  bat- 
tle He  makes  bare  His  arm.  Man  has  to  look  two  ways 
— to  his  own  defense,  as  well  as  to  the  offense  of  his 
enemy;  God  hath  but  one  direction  in  which  to  cast 
His  eye — the  overthrow  of  His  foeman ;  and  He  disre- 
gards all  measures  of  defense  and  scorns  all  armor. 
He  makes  bare  His  arm  in  the  sight  of  all  the  people. 
When  men  would  do  their  work  in  earnest,  too,  they 
sometimes  strip  themselves,  like  that  warrior  of  old, 
who,  when  he  went  to  battle  with  the  Turks,  would 
never  fight  them  except  with  the  bare  arm.  "Such 
things  as  they,"  said  he,  "I  need  not  fear;  they  have 
more  reason  to  fear  my  bare  arm  than  I  their  scim- 
itar.'* Men  feel  that  they  are  prepared  for  a  work 
wh.en  they  have  cast  away  their  cumbrous  garments. 
Ana  so  the  prophet  represents  the  Lord  as  laying  aside 
for  awhile  the  garments  of  His  dignity,  and  making 

227 


228  THE   GREAT   REVIVAL 

bare  His  arm,  that  He  may  do  His  work  in  earnest  and 
accomplish  His  purpose  for  the  establishment  of  His 
church. 

Now,  leaving  the  figure,  which  is  a  very  great  one,  I 
would  remind  you  that  its  meaning  is  fully  carried 
out  whenever  God  is  pleased  to  send  a  great  revival  of 
religioQ.  My  heart  is  glad  within  me  this  day,  for  I 
am  the  bearer  of  good  tidings.  My  soul  has  been 
made  exceedingly  full  of  happiness  by  the  tidings  of 
a  great  revival  of  religion  throughout  the  United 
States.  Some  hundred  years,  or  more,  ago,  it  pleased 
the  Lord  to  send  one  of  the  most  marvelous  religious 
awakenings  that  was  ever  known;  the  whole  of  the 
United  States  seemed  shaken  from  end  to  end  with 
enthusiasm  for  hearing  the  Word  of  God;  and  now, 
after  the  lapse  of  a  century,  the  like  has  occurred 
again.  The  monetary  pressure  has  at  length 
departed ;  but  it  has  left  behind  it  the  wreck  of  many 
mighty  fortunes.  Many  men,  who  were  once  princes, 
have  now  become  beggars,  and  in  America,  more  than 
in  England,  men  have  learned  the  instability  of  all 
human  things.  The  minds  of  men,  thus  weaned  from 
the  earth  by  terrible  and  unexpected  panic,  seem 
prepared  to  receive  tidings  from  a  better  land  and  to 
turn  their  exertions  in  a  heavenly  direction.  You  will 
be  told  by  anyone  who  is  conversant  with  the  present 
state  of  America,  that  wherever  you  go  there  are 
the  most  remarkable  signs  that  religion  is  progressing 
with  majestic  strides.  The  great  revival,  as  it  is  now 
called,  has  become  the  common  market-talk  of  mer- 
chants ;  it  is  the  theme  of  every  newspaper ;  even  the 
secular  press  remarks  it,  for  it  has  become  so  astonish- 
ing that  all  ranks  and  classes  of  men  seem  to  have 


THE   GREAT   REVIVAL  229 

been  affected  by  it.  Apparently,  without  any  cause 
whatever,  fear  has  taken  hold  of  the  hearts  of  men ;  a 
thrill  seems  to  be  shot  through  every  breast  at  once ; 
and  it  is  affirmed  by  men  of  good  repute  that  there 
are,  at  this  time,  towns  in  New  England  where  you 
could  not,  even  if  you  searched,  find  one  solitary 
unconverted  person.  So  marvelous — I  had  almost 
said,  so  miraculous — has  been  the  sudden  and  instan- 
taneous spread  of  religion  throughout  the  great 
empire,  that  it  is  scarcely  possible  for  us  to  believe 
the  half  of  it,  even  though  it  should  be  told  us.  Now, 
as  you  are  aware,  I  have  at  all  times  been  peculiarly 
jealous  and  suspicious  of  revivals.  Whenever  I  see  a 
man  who  is  called  a  revivalist,  I  always  set  him  down 
for  a  cipher.  I  would  scorn  the  taking  of  such  a  title 
as  that  to  myself.  If  God  pleases  to  make  use  of  a 
man  for  the  promoting  of  a  revival,  well  and  good; 
but  for  any  man  to  assume  the  title  and  office  of  a 
revivalist,  and  go  about  the  country,  believing  that 
wherever  he  goes  he  is  the  vessel  of  mercy  appointed 
to  convey  a  revival  of  religion,  is,  I  think,  an  assump- 
tion far  too  arrogant  for  any  man  who  has  the  slightest 
degree  of  modesty.  And  again,  there  are  a  large 
number  of  revivals,  which  occur  every  now  and  then 
in  our  towns,  and  sometimes  in  our  city,  which  I 
believe  to  be  spurious  and  worthless.  I  have  heard  of 
the  people  crowding  in  the  morning,  the  afternoon 
and  the  evening,  to  hear  some  noted  revivalist  and, 
under  his  preaching  some  have  screamed,  have 
shrieked,  have  fallen  down  on  the  floor,  have  rolled 
themselves  in  convulsions  and  afterwards,  when  he 
has  set  a  form  for  penitents,  employing  one  or  two 
decoy  ducks  to  run  out  from  the  rest  and  make  a  con- 


230  THE  GREAT   REVIVAL 

fession  of  sin,  hundreds  have  come  forward,  impressed 
by  that  one  sermon,  and  declared  that  they  were,  there 
and  then,  turned  from  the  error  of  their  ways ;  and  it 
was  only  last  week  I  saw  a  record  of  a  certain  place,  in 
our  own  country,  giving  an  account,  that  on  such  a 
day,  under  the  preaching  of  the  Rev.  Mr.  So-and-so, 
seventeen  persons  were  thoroughly  sanctified,  twenty- 
eight  were  convinced  of  sin,  and  twenty-nine  received 
the  blessing  of  justification.  Then  comes  the  next 
day,  so  many  more ;  the  following  day,  so  many  more ; 
and  afterwards  they  are  all  cast  up  together,  making  a 
grand  total  of  some  hundreds  who  have  been  blessed 
during  three  services,  under  the  ministry  of  Mr.  So- 
and-so.  All  that  I  call  farce !  There  may  be  some- 
thing very  good  in  it ;  but  the  outside  looks  to  me  to 
be  so  rotten  that  I  should  scarcely  trust  myself  to 
think  that  the  good  within  comes  to  any  very  great 
amount.  When  people  go  to  work  to  calculate  so 
exactly  by  arithmetic,  it  always  strikes  me  they  have 
mistaken  what  they  are  at.  We  may  easily  say  that 
so  many  were  added  to  the  church  on  a  certain  occa- 
sion, but  to  take  a  separate  census  of  the  convinced, 
the  justified  and  the  sanctified,  is  absurd.  You  will, 
therefore,  be  surprised  at  finding  me  speaking  of 
revival ;  but  you  will,  perhaps,  not  be  quite  so  surprised 
when  I  endeavor  to  explain  what  I  mean  by  an 
earnest  and  intense  desire,  which  I  feel  in  my  heart, 
that  God  would  be  pleased  to  send  throughout  this 
country  a  revival  like  that  which  has  just  commenced 
in  America,  and  which,  we  trust,  will  long  continue 
there. 

I  should  endeavor  to  mark,  in  the  first  place,  the 
cause  of  every  revival  of  true  religion;  secondly,  the 


THE   GREAT   REVIVAL  231 

consequences  of  such  revival;  then,  thirdly,  I  shall  givs 
a  caution  or  two,  that  we  make  not  mistakes  in  this 
matter,  and  conceive  that  to  be  God's  work  which  is 
only  man's;  and  then  I  shall  conclude  by  making  an 
exhortation  to  all  my  brethren  in  the  faith  of  Christ,  to 
labor  and  pray  for  a  revival  of  religion  in  the  midst  of 
our  churches. 

I.  First,  then,  the  cause  of  a  true  revival.  The 
mere  worldly  man  does  not  understand  a  revival ;  he 
cannot  make  it  out.  Why  is  it  that  a  sudden  fit  of 
godliness,  as  he  would  call  it,  a  kind  of  sacred  epi- 
demic, should  seize  upon  a  mass  of  people  all  at  once? 
What  can  be  the  cause  of  it?  It  frequently  occurs  in 
the  absence  of  all  great  evangelists;  it  cannot  be 
traced  to  any  particular  means.  There  have  been  no 
special  agencies  used  in  order  to  bring  it  about — no 
machinery  supplied,  no  societies  established;  and  yet 
it  has  come,  just  like  a  heavenly  hurricane,  sweeping 
everything  before  it.  It  has  rushed  across  the  land, 
and  of  it  men  have  said,  *'The  wind  bloweth  where  it 
listeth ;  we  hear  the  sound  thereof,  but  we  cannot  tell 
whence  it  cometh  or  whither  it  goeth. "  What  is,  then, 
the  cause?  Our  answer  is.  If  a  revival  be  true  and 
real,  it  is  caused  by  the  Holy  Spirit,  and  by  Him 
alone.  When  Peter  stood  up  on  the  day  of  Pentecost, 
and  preached  that  memorable  sermon  by  which  three 
thousand  persons  were  converted,  can  we  attribute  the 
remarliable  success  of  his  ministry  to  anything  else 
but  the  ministry  of  the  Holy  Spirit?  I  read  the  notes 
of  Peter's  discourse ;  it  was  certainly  very  simple ;  it 
was  a  plain  narration  of  facts ;  it  was  certainly  very 
bold,  very  cutting  and  pointed  and  personal,  for  he 
did  not  blush  to  tell  them  that  they  had  put  to  death 


232  THE   GREAT   REVIVAL 

the  Lord  of  life  and  of  glory,  and  were  guilty  of  His 
blood ;  but  on  the  mere  surface  of  the  thing,  I  should 
be  apt  to  say  that  I  had  read  many  a  sermon  far  more 
likely  to  be  effective  than  Peter's;  and  I  believe  there 
have  been  many  preachers  who  have  lived,  whose  ser- 
mons, when  read,  would  have  been  far  more  notable 
and  far  more  regarded,  at  least  by  the  critic,  than  the 
sermon  of  Peter.  It  seems  to  have  been  exceedingly 
simple  and  suitable  and  extremely  earnest,  but  none 
of  these  things  are  so  eminently  remarkable  as  to  be 
the  cause  of  such  extraordinary  success. 

What,  then,  was  the  reason?  And  we  reply,  once 
more,  the  same  word  which  the  Holy  Spirit  blesses  to 
the  conversion  of  one,  He  might,  if  He  pleased,  bless  to 
the  conversion  of  a  thousand;  and  I  am  persuaded 
that  the  meanest  preacher  in  Christendom  might 
come  into  this  pulpit,  this  morning,  and  preach  the 
most  simple  sermon,  in  the  most  uneducated  style,  and 
the  Holy  Spirit,  if  so  He  willed  it,  might  bless  that 
sermon  to  the  conversion  of  every  man,  woman  and 
child  within  this  place:  for  His  arm  is  not  shortened. 
His  power  is  not  straitened  and,  as  long  as  He  is  Omni- 
potent, it  is  ours  to  believe  that  He  can  do  whatsoever 
seemeth  Him  good.  Do  not  imagine,  when  you  hear 
of  a  sermon  being  made  useful,  that  it  was  the  sermon 
itself  that  did  the  work.  Conceive  not,  because  a  cer- 
tain preacher  may  have  been  greatly  blessed  in  the 
conversion  of  souls,  that  there  is  anything  in  the 
preacher.  God  forbid  that  any  preacher  should  arro- 
gate such  a  thing  to  himself.  Any  other  preacher, 
blessed  in  the  same  manner,  would  be  as  useful;  and 
any  other  sermon,  provided  it  be  truthful  and  earnest, 
might  be  as  much  blessed  as  that  particular  sermon 


THE  GREAT   REVIVAL  253 

which  has  become  notable  by  reason  of  the  multitudes 
who  by  it  have  been  brought  to  Christ.  The  Spirit  of 
God,  when  He  pleaseth,  blows  upon  the  sons  of  men. 
He  finds  a  people  hard  and  careless;  He  casts  a  desire 
into  their  minds — He  sows  it  broadcast  in  their  spirits 
— a  thought  towards  the  house  of  the  Lord,  and 
straightway,  they  know  not  why,  they  flock  in  multi- 
tudes to  hear  the  Word  preached.  He  casts  the  seed, 
the  same  seed,  into  the  preacher's  mind,  and  he 
knows  not  how,  but  he  feels  more  earnest  than  he  did 
before.  When  he  goes  to  his  pulpit,  he  goes  to  it  as 
to  a  solemn  sacrifice,  and  there  he  preaches,  believing 
that  great  things  will  be  the  effect  of  his  ministry. 
The  time  of  prayer  cometh  round ;  Christians  are  found 
meeting  together  in  large  numbers ;  they  cannot  tell 
what  it  is  that  influences  them,  but  they  feel  they  must 
go  up  to  the  house  of  the  Lord  to  pray.  There  are 
earnest  prayers  lifted  up;  there  are  earnest  sermons 
preached  and  there  are  earnest  hearers.  Then  God, 
the  Almighty  One,  is  pleased  to  soften  hard  hearts, 
and  subdue  the  stout-hearted,  and  bring  them  to  know 
the  truth.  The  only  real  cause  is,  His  Spirit  working 
in  the  minds  of  men. 

But  while  this  is  the  only  actual  cause,  yet  there  are 
instrumental  causes ;  and  the  main  instrumental  cause 
of  a  great  revival  must  be  the  bold,  faithful,  fearless 
preaching  of  the  truth  as  it  is  in  Jesus.  Why,  breth- 
ren, we  want  every  now  and  then  to  have  a  reforma- 
tion. One  reformation  will  never  serve  the  church; 
she  needs  continually  to  be  wound  up  and  set  a-going 
afresh ;  for  her  works  run  down,  and  she  does  not  act 
as  she  used  to  do.  The  bold,  bald  doctrines  that 
Luther  brought  out  began  to  be  a  little  modified,  until 


234  THE  GREAT  REVIVAL 

layer  after  layer  was  deposited  upon  them,  and  at  last 
the  old  rocky  truth  was  covered  up,  and  there  grew 
upon  the  superficial  subsoil  an  abundance  of  green  and 
flowery  errors,  that  looked  fair  and  beautiful,  but  were 
in  no  way  whatever  related  to  the  truth,  except  as  they 
were  the  products  of  its  decay.  Then  there  came 
bold  men  who  brought  the  truth  out  again  and  said: 
*' Clear  away  this  rubbush;  let  the  blast  light  upon 
these  deceitful  beauties ;  we  want  them  not ;  bring  out 
the  old  truth  once  more!"  And  it  came  out.  But  the 
tendency  of  the  church  perpetually  is,  to  be  covering 
up  its  own  naked  simplicity,  forgetting  that  the  truth  is 
never  so  beautiful  as  when  it  stands  in  its  own 
unadorned,  God-given  glory.  And  now,  at  this  time, 
we  want  to  have  the  old  truths  restored  to  their 
places.  The  subtleties  and  the  refinements  of  the 
preacher  must  be  laid  aside.  We  must  give  up  the 
grand  distinctions  of  the  school-men,  and  all  the  lettered 
technicalities  of  men  who  have  studied  theology  as  a 
system,  but  have  not  felt  the  power  of  it  in  their 
hearts;  and  when  the  good  old  truth  is  once  more 
preached  by  men  whose  lips  are  touched  as  with  a  live 
coal  from  off  the  altar,  this  shall  be  the  instrument,  in 
the  hand  of  the  Spirit,  for  bringing  about  a  great  and 
thorough  revival  of  religion  in  the  land. 

But  added  to  this,  there  must  be  the  earnest  prayers 
of  the  church.  All  in  vain  the  most  indefatigable 
ministry,  unless  the  church  waters  the  seed  sown,  with 
her  abundant  tears.  Every  revival  has  been  com- 
menced and  attended  by  a  large  amount  of  prayer.  In 
the  city  of  New  York,  at  the  present  moment,  there  is 
not,  I  believe,  one  single  hotir  of  the  day  wherein 
Christiaus  are  not  gathered  together  for  prayer.     One 


THE   GREAT   REVIVAL  235 

church  opens  its  doors  from  five  o'clock  till  six,  for 
prayer ;  another  church  opens  from  six  to  seven  and 
summons  its  praying  men  to  offer  the  sacrifice  of  sup- 
plication. Six  o'clock  is  past,  and  men  are  gone  to 
their  labor.  Another  class  find  it  then  convenient — 
such  as  those,  perhaps,  who  go  to  business  at  eight  or 
nine — and  from  seven  to  eight  there  is  another  prayer 
meeting.  From  eight  to  nine  there  is  another,  in 
another  part  of  the  city,  and  what  is  most  marvelous, 
at  high  noon,  from  twelve  to  one,  in  the  midst  of  the 
city  of  New  York,  there  is  held  a  prayer  meeting  in  a 
large  room,  which  is  crammed  to  the  doors  every  day, 
with  hundreds  standing  outside.  This  prayer  meeting 
is  made  up  of  merchants  of  the  city,  who  can  spare  a 
quarter  of  an  hour  to  go  in  and  say  a  word  of  prayer 
and  then  leave  again ;  and  then  a  fresh  company  come 
in  to  fill  up  the  ranks,  so  that  it  is  supposed  that  many 
hundreds  assemble  in  that  one  place  for  prayer  during 
the  appointed  hour.  This  is  the  explanation  of  the 
revival.  If  this  were  done  in  London — if  we  for  once 
would  outvie  old  Rome,  who  kept  her  monks  in  her 
sanctuaries,  always  at  prayer,  both  by  night  and  by 
day — if  we  together  could  keep  up  one  golden  chain 
of  prayer,  link  after  link  of  holy  brotherhood  being 
joined  together  in  supplication,  then  might  we  expect 
an  abundant  outpouring  of  the  Divine  Spirit  from  the 
Lord  our  God.  The  Holy  Spirit,  as  the  actual  agent 
— the  Word  preached,  and  the  prayers  of  the  people, 
as  the  instruments — -and  we  have  thus  explained  the 
cause  of  a  true  revival  of  religion. 

II.  But  now  what  are  the  consequences  of  a 
REVIVAL  of  religion?  Why,  the  consequences  are 
everything    that    our    hearts    could    desire    for    the 


236  THE   GREAT   REVIVAL 

church's  good.  When  the  revival  of  religion  comes 
into  a  nation,  the  minister  begins  to  be  warmed.  It 
is  said  that  in  America  the  most  sleepy  preachers  have 
begun  to  wake  up ;  they  have  warmed  themselves  at 
the  general  fire,  and  men  who  could  not  preach  with- 
out notes,  and  could  not  preach  with  them  to  any  pur- 
pose at  all,  have  found  it  in  their  hearts  to  speak  right 
out,  and  speak  with  all  their  might  to  the  people. 
When  there  comes  a  revival,  the  minister,  all  of  a  sud- 
den finds  that  the  usual  forms  and  conventionalities  of 
the  pulpit  are  not  exactly  suitable  to  the  times.  He 
breaks  through  one  hedge ;  then  he  finds  himself  in  an 
awkward  position,  and  he  has  to  break  through 
another.  He  finds  himself,  perhaps,  on  a  Sunday 
morning,  though  a  Doctor  of  Divinity,  actually  telling 
an  anecdote — lowering  the  dignity  of  the  pulpit  by 
actually  using  a  simile  or  metaphor — sometimes  per- 
haps accidentally  making  his  people  smile  and,  what 
is  also  a  great  sin  in  these  solid  theologians,  now  and 
then  dropping  a  tear.  He  does  not  exactly  know  how 
it  is,  but  the  people  catch  up  his  words.  "I  must 
have  something  good  for  them,"  he  says.  He  just 
burns  that  old  lot  of  sermons ;  or  he  puts  them  under 
the  bed  and  gets  some  new  ones,  or  gets  none  at  all, 
but  just  gets  his  text,  and  begins  to  cry : '  *  Men  and  breth- 
ren, believe  on  the  Lord  Jesus  Christ  and  you  shall 
be  saved."  The  old  deacons  say:  **What  is  the  matter 
with  our  minister?"  The  old  ladies,  who  have  heard 
him  for  many  years,  and  slept  in  the  front  of  the  gal- 
lery so  regularly,  begin  to  rouse,  and  say:  "I  wonder 
what  has  happened  to  him?  How  can  it  be?  Why,  he 
preaches  like  a  man  on  fire.  The  tear  runs  over  at  his 
eye ;  his  soul  is  full  of  love  for  souls. ' '     They  cannot 


THE   GREAT   REVIVAL  237 

make  it  out;  they  have  often  said  he  was  dull  and 
dreary  and  drowsy.  How  is  it  all  this  is  changed? 
Why,  it  is  the  revival.  The  revival  has  touched  the 
minister;  the  sun,  shining  so  brightly,  has  melted 
some  of  the  snow  on  the  mountain-top,  and  it  is  run- 
ning down  in  fertilizing  streams  to  bless  the  valleys; 
and  the  people  down  below  are  refreshed  by  the  min- 
istrations of  the  man  of  God  who  has  awakened  him- 
self up  from  his  sleep  and  finds  himself,  like  another 
Elijah,  made  strong  for  forty  days  of  labor.  Well, 
then,  directly  after  that  the  revival  begins  to  touch  the 
people  at  large.  The  congregation  was  once  num- 
bered by  the  empty  seats,  rather  than  by  the  full  ones. 
But  on  a  sudden — the  minister  does  not  understand 
it — he  finds  the  people  coming  to  hear  him.  He  never 
was  popular,  never  hoped  to  be.  All  at  once  he 
wakes  up  and  finds  himself  famous,  so  far  as  a  large 
congregation  can  make  him  so.  There  are  the  people, 
and  how  they  listen!  They  are  all  awake,  all  in 
earnest ;  they  lean  their  heads  forward,  they  put  their 
hands  to  their  ears.  His  voice  is  feeble ;  they  try  to 
help  him ;  they  are  doing  anything  so  that  they  may 
hear  the  Word  of  Life.  And  then  the  members  of  the 
church  open  their  eyes  and  see  the  chapel  full,  and 
they  say,  "How  has  this  come  about?  We  ought  to 
pray. ' '  A  prayer  meeting  is  summoned.  There  had 
been  five  or  six  in  the  vestry;  now  there  are  five  or 
six  hundred,  and  they  turn  into  the  chapel.  And  oh! 
how  they  pray !  That  old  stager,  who  used  to  pray  for 
twenty  minutes,  finds  it  now  convenient  to  confine 
himself  to  five;  and  that  good  old  man,  who  always 
used  to  repeat  the  same  form  of  prayer  when  he  stood 
up   and  talked  about  the  horse  that  rushed  into  the 


238  THE   GREAT   REVIVAL 

battle,  and  the  oil  from  vessel  to  vessel,  and  all  that, 
leaves  all  these  things  at  home,  and  just  prays:  '*0 
Lord,  save  sinners,  for  Jesus  Christ's  sake."  And 
there  are  sobs  and  groans  heard  in  the  prayer  meet- 
ings. It  is  evident  that  not  one,  but  all,  are  praying ; 
the  whole  mass  seems  moved  to  supplication.  How  is 
this  again?  Why,  it  is  just  the  effect  of  the  revival, 
for  when  the  revival  truly  comes,  the  minister  and  the 
congregation  and  the  church  will  receive  good  by  it. 

But  it  does  not  end  here.  The  members  of  the 
church  grow  more  solemn,  more  serious.  Family 
duties  are  better  attended  to;  the  home  circle  is 
brought  under  better  culture.  Those  who  could  not 
spare  time  for  family  prayer,  find  they  can  do  so  now ; 
those  who  had  no  opportunity  for  teaching  their  chil- 
dren, now  dare  not  go  a  day  without  doing  it ;  for  they 
hear  that  there  are  children  converted  in  the  Sunday 
School.  There  are  twice  as  many  in  the  Sunday  School 
now  as  there  used  to  be ;  and,  what  is  wonderful,  the 
little  children  meet  together  to  pray ;  their  little  hearts 
are  touched  and  many  of  them  show  signs  of  a  work 
of  grace  begun ;  and  fathers  and  mothers  think  they 
must  try  what  they  can  do  for  their  families — if  God  is 
blessing  little  children,  why  should  He  not  bless  theirs? 

And  then,  when  you  see  the  members  of  the  church 
going  up  to  the  house  of  God,  you  mark  with  what  a 
steady  and  sober  air  they  go.  Perhaps  they  talk  on 
the  way,  but  they  talk  of  Jesus;  and  if  they  whisper 
together  at  the  gates  of  the  sanctuary,  it  is  no  longer 
idle  gossip;  it  is  no  remark  about,  "How  do  you  like 
the  preacher?  What  did  you  think  of  him?  Did  you 
notice  So-and-so?"  Oh,  no!  "I  pray  the  Lord  that 
He  might  bless  the  word  of  His  servant,  that  He  might 


THE   GREAT   REVIVAL  339 

send  an  unction  from  on  high,  that  the  dying-  flame 
may  be  kindled,  and  that  where  there  is  life,  it  may  be 
promoted  and  strengthened,  and  receive  fresh  vigor.** 
This  is  their  whole  conversation. 

And  then  comes  the  great  result.  There  is  an 
inquirers'  meeting  held.  The  good  brother  who  pre- 
sides over  it  is  astonished ;  he  never  saw  so  many  com- 
ing in  his  life  before.  **Why,"  says  he,  **  there  are  a 
hundred,  at  least,  come  to  confess  what  the  Lord  has 
done  for  their  souls!  Here  are  fifty  come  all  at  once 
to  say  that  under  such  a  sermon  they  were  brought  to 
the  knowledge  of  the  truth.  Who  hath  begotten  me 
these?  How  hath  it  come  about?  How  can  it  be?  Is 
not  the  Lord  a  great  God  that  hath  wrought  such  a  work 
as  this?"  And  then  the  converts  who  are  thus  brought 
into  the  church,  if  the  revival  continues,  are  very 
earnest  ones.  You  never  saw  such  a  people.  The 
outsiders  call  them  fanatics.  It  is  a  blessed  fanaticism. 
Others  say,  they  are  nothing  but  enthusiasts.  It  is 
a  heavenly  enthusiasm.  Everything  that  is  done  is 
done  with  such  spirit.  If  they  sing,  it  is  like  the 
crashing  thunder;  if  they  pray,  it  is  like  the  swift, 
sharp  flash  of  lightning,  lighting  up  the  darkness  of 
the  cold-hearted,  and  making  them  for  a  moment  feel 
that  there  is  something  in  prayer.  When  the  minister 
preaches,  he  preaches  like  a  Boanerges,  and  when  the 
church  is  gathered  together,  it  is  with  a  hearty  good 
will.  When  they  give,  they  give  with  enlarged  liber- 
ality ;  when  they  visit  the  sick,  they  do  it  with  gentle- 
ness, meekness  and  love.  Everything  is  done  with  a 
single  eye  to  God's  glory;  not  of  men,  but  by  the 
power  of  God.  Oh !  that  we  might  see  such  a  revival 
as  this  1 


240  THE   GREAT   REVIVAL 

But,  blessed  be  God,  it  does  not  end  here.  The 
revival  of  the  church  then  touches  the  rest  of  society. 
Men  who  do  not  come  forward  and  profess  religion, 
are  more  punctual  in  attending  the  means  of  grace. 
Men  that  used  to  swear,  give  it  up ;  they  find  it  is  not 
suitable  for  the  times.  Men  that  profaned  the  Sab- 
bath and  that  despised  God,  find  it  will  not  do;  they 
give  it  all  up.  Times  get  changed;  morality  prevails; 
the  lower  ranks  are  affected.  They  buy  a  sermon 
where  they  used  to  buy  some  penny  tract  of  nonsense. 
The  higher  orders  are  also  touched;  they,  too,  are 
brought  to  hear  the  Word.  Her  ladyship,  in  her  car- 
riage, who  never  would  have  thought  of  going  to  so 
mean  a  place  as  a  conventicle,  does  not  now  care  where 
she  goes  so  long  as  she  is  blessed.  She  wants  to  hear 
the  truth ;  and  a  drayman  pulls  his  horses  up  by  the 
side  of  her  ladyship's  pair  of  grays,  and  they  both  go 
in  and  bend  together  before  the  throne  of  sovereign 
grace.  All  classes  are  affected.  Even  the  senate  feels 
it ;  the  statesman  himself  is  surprised  at  it  and  won- 
ders what  all  these  things  mean.  Even  the  monarch 
on  the  throne  feels  she  has  become  the  monarch  of  a 
people  better  than  she  knew  before,  and  that  God  is 
doing  something  in  her  realms  past  all  her  thought — 
that  a  great  King  is  swaying  a  better  scepter  and 
exerting  a  better  influence  than  even  her  excellent 
example.  Nor  does  it  even  end  there.  Heaven  is 
filled.  One  by  one  the  converts  die  and  heaven  gets 
fuller;  the  harps  of  heaven  are  louder,  the  songs  of 
angels  are  inspired  with  new  melody,  for  they  rejoice 
to  see  the  sons  of  men  prostrate  before  the  throne.  The 
universe  is  made  glad:  it  is  God's  own  summer;  it  is 
the  universal  spring.     The  time  of  the  singing  of  birds 


THE   GREAT    REVIVAL  341 

is  come ;  the  voice  of  the  turtle  is  heard  in  our  land. 
Oh !  that  God  might  send  us  such  a  revival  of  religion 
as  this! 

III.  Now  we  shall  have  to  turn  to  the  third  point, 
which  was  a  caution.  When  Christmas  Evans 
preached  in  Wales,  during  a  time  of  revival,  he  used 
to  make  the  people  dance ;  the  congregation  were  so 
excited  under  his  ministry  that  they  positively  danced. 
Now,  I  do  not  believe  that  dancing  was  the  work  of  the 
Spirit.  Their  being  stirred  in  their  hearts  might  be 
the  Holy  Spirit's  work,  but  the  Holy  Spirit  does  not 
care  to  make  people  dance  under  sermons;  no  good 
comes  of  it.  Now  and  then  among  some  of  our 
friends  there  is  a  great  break-out,  and  we  hear  of  a 
young  woman  in  the  middle  of  a  sermon  getting  on 
top  of  a  form  and  turning  round  and  round  in  ecstasy, 
till  she  falls  in  a  fainting  fit,  and  they  cry,  ''Glory 
be  to  God ! ' '  Now,  we  do  not  believe  that  that  is  the 
work  of  the  Spirit;  we  believe  it  is  ridiculous  non- 
jense,  and  nothing  more.  In  the  old  revivals  in 
America,  a  hundred  years  ago,  commonly  called  "the 
great  awakening,"  there  were  many  strange  things, 
such  as  continual  shrieks  and  screams  and  knockings 
and  twitchings,  under  the  services.  We  cannot  call 
that  the  work  of  the  Spirit.  Even  the  great  White- 
field's  revival  at  Cambuslang,  one  of  the  greatest  and 
most  remarkable  revivals  that  was  ever  known,  was 
attended  by  some  things  that  we  cannot  but  regard  as 
superstitious  wonders.  People  were  so  excited  that 
they  did  not  know  what  they  did.  Now,  if  in  any 
revival  you  see  any  of  these  strange  contortions  of  the 
body,  always  distinguish  between  things  that  differ. 
The  Holy  Spirit's  work  is  with  the  mind,  not  with  the 


242  THE   GREAT   REVIVAL 

body  in  that  way.  It  is  not  the  will  of  God  that  such 
things  should  disgrace  the  proceedings.  I  believe  that 
such  things  are  the  result  of  Satanic  malice.  The 
devil  sees  that  there  is  a  great  deal  of  good  doing. 
**Now,"  says  he,  "I'll  spoil  it  all.  I'll  put  my  hoof  in 
there  and  do  a  world  of  mischief.  There  are  souls 
being  converted ;  I  will  let  them  get  so  excited  that 
they  will  do  ludicrous  things ;  and  then  it  will  all  be 
brought  into  contempt. ' '  Now,  if  you  see  any  of  these 
strange  things  arising,  look  out.  There  is  that  old 
Apollyon  busy,  trying  to  mar  the  work.  Put  such 
vagaries  down  as  soon  as  you  can,  for  where  the  Spirit 
works.  He  never  works  against  His  own  precept,  and 
His  precept  is:  "Let  all  things  be  done  decently  and  in 
order."  It  is  neither  decent  nor  orderly  for  people  to 
dance  under  the  sermon  nor  howl  nor  scream  while 
the  Gospel  is  being  preached  to  them;  therefore  it 
is  not  the  Spirit's  work  at  all,  but  mere  human  excite- 
ment. 

And  again,  remember  that  you  must  always  distin- 
guish between  man  and  man  in  the  work  of  revival. 
While,  during  a  revival  of  religion,  a  very  large  num- 
ber of  people  will  be  really  converted,  there  will  be  a 
very  considerable  portion  who  will  be  merely  excited 
with  animal  excitement,  and  whose  conversion  will  not 
be  genuine.  Always  expect  that  and  do  not  be  sur- 
prised if  you  see  it.  It  is  but  a  law  of  the  mind  that 
men  should  imitate  one  another,  and  it  seems  but 
reasonable,  that  when  one  person  is  truly  converted, 
there  should  be  a  kind  of  desire  to  imitate  it  in 
another,  who  yet  is  not  a  possessor  of  true  and  sov- 
ereign grace.  Be  not  discouraged,  then,  if  you  should 
meet  with  this  in  the  midst  of  a  revival.     It  is  no 


THE   GREAT  REVIVAL  243 

proof  that  it  is  not  a  true  revival ;   it  is  only  a  proof 
that  it  is  not  true  in  that  particular  case. 

I  must  say,  once  more,  that  if  God  should  send  us  a 
great  revival  of  religion,  it  will  be  our  duty  not  to 
relax  the  bonds  of  discipline.  Some  churches,  when 
they  increase  very  largely,  are  apt  to  take  people  into 
their  number  by  wholesale,  without  due  and  proper 
examination.  We  ought  to  be  just  as  strict  in  the 
paroxysms  of  a  revival  as  in  the  cooler  times  of  a 
gradual  increase,  and  if  the  Lord  sends  His  Spirit  like 
a  hurricane,  it  is  ours  to  deal  with  skill  with  the  sails, 
lest  the  hurricane  should  wreck  us  by  driving  us  upon 
some  fell  rock  that  may  do  us  serious  injury.  Take 
care,  ye  that  are  officers  in  the  church,  when  ye  see  the 
people  stirred  up,  that  ye  exercise  still  a  holy  caution, 
lest  the  church  become  lowered  in  its  standard  of  piety 
by  the  admission  of  persons  not  truly  saved. 

IV.  With  these  words  of  caution,  I  shall  now  gather 
up  my  strength,  and  with  all  my  might  labor  to  stir 
you  up  to  seek  of  God  a  great  revival  of  religion 
throughout  the  length  and  breadth  of  this  land. 

Men,  brethren,  and  fathers,  the  Lord  God  hath  sent 
us  a  blessing.  One  blessing  is  the  earnest  of  many. 
Drops  precede  the  April  showers.  The  mercies  which 
He  has  already  bestowed  upon  us  are  but  the  forerun- 
ners and  the  preludes  of  something  greater  and  better 
yet  to  come.  He  has  given  us  the  former,  let  us  seek 
of  Him  the  latter  rain,  that  His  grace  may  be  multiplied 
among  us  and  His  glory  may  be  increased.  There  are 
some  of  you  to  whom  I  address  myself  this  morning 
who  stand  in  the  way  of  any  revival  of  religion.  I 
would  affectionately  admonish  you  and  beseech  you 
not  to  impede  the  Lord's  own  work.     There  be  some 


244  THE   GREAT   REVIVAL 

of  you,  perhaps,  here  present  to-day  who  are  not  con- 
sistent in  your  living.  And  yet  you  are  professors  of 
religion;  you  take  the  sacramental  cup  into  your  hand 
and  drink  its  sacred  wine,  but  still  you  live  as  world- 
lings live,  and  are  as  carnal  and  as  covetous  as  they. 
Oh,  my  brother,  you  are  a  serious  drawback  to  the 
church's  increase.  God  will  never  bless  an  unholy 
people ;  and  in  proportion  to  our  unholiness,  He  will 
withhold  the  blessing  from  us.  Tell  me  of  a  church 
that  is  inconsistent,  you  shall  tell  me  of  a  church  that 
is  unblest.  God  will  first  sweep  the  house  before  He 
will  come  to  dwell  in  it.  He  will  have  His  church  pure 
before  He  will  bless  it  with  all  the  blessings  of  His 
grace.  Remember  that,  ye  inconsistent  ones,  and 
turn  unto  God,  and  ask  to  be  rendered  holy.  There 
are  others  of  you  that  are  so  cold-hearted  that  you 
stand  in  the  way  of  all  progress.  You  are  a  skid  upon 
the  wheels  of  the  church.  It  cannot  move  for  you.  If 
we  would  be  earnest,  you  put  your  cold  hand  on  every- 
thing that  is  bold  and  daring.  You  are  not  prudent 
and  zealous ;  if  you  were  so,  we  would  bless  God  for 
giving  you  that  prudence  which  is  a  jewel  for  which 
we  ought  ever  to  thank  God,  if  we  have  a  prudent  man 
among  us.  But  there  are  some  of  you  to  whom  I 
allude  who  are  prudent,  but  you  are  cold.  You  have 
no  earnestness,  you  do  not  labor  for  Christ,  you  do  not 
serve  Him  with  all  your  strength.  And  there  are 
others  of  you  who  are  imprudent  enough  to  push 
others  on,  but  never  go  forward  yourselves.  O  ye 
Laodiceans,  ye  that  are  neither  hot  nor  cold,  remember 
what  the  Lord  hath  said  of  you — *'So  then,  because 
thou  art  neither  cold  nor  hot,  I  will  spue  thee  out  of 
my  mouth/*      And  so  will  He  do  with  you.     Take 


THE   GREAT    REVIVAL  245 

heed,  take  heed,  you  are  not  only  hurting  yourselves, 
but  you  are  injuring  the  church.     And  then  there  are 
others  of  you  who  are  such  sticklers  for  order,  so  given 
to  everything  that  has  been,  that  you  do  not  care  for 
any  revival,  for  fear  we  should  hurt  you.     You  would 
not  have  the  church  repaired,  lest  we  should  touch  one 
piece  of  the  venerable  moss  that  coats  it.     You  would 
not  cleanse  your  own  garment,  because  there  is  ancient 
dirt   upon   it.       You   think   that   because   a   thing   is 
ancient,   therefore  it    must  be  venerable.      You   are 
lovers  of  the  antique.     You  would  not  have  a  road 
mended,  because  your  grandfather  drove  his  wagon 
along  the  rut  that  is  there.     *'Let  it  always  be  there," 
you  say;  '*let  it  always  be  knee-deep."     Did  not  your 
grandfather  go  through  it  when  it  was  knee-deep  with 
mud.       Why  should  not  you  do    the    same?      It  was 
good  enough  for  him,  and  it  is  good  enough  for  you. 
You  always  have  taken  an  easy  seat  in  the  chapel. 
You  never  saw  a  revival ;    you  do  not  want  to  see  it. 
You  believe  it  is  all  nonsense  and  that  it  is  not  to  be 
desired.     You  look  back ;  you  find  no  precedent  for  it. 
Doctor  So-and-so  did  not  talk  about  it.     Your  vener- 
able minister  who  is  dead  did  not  talk  so,  you  say; 
therefore  it  is  not  needed.     We  need  not  tell  you  it  is 
scriptural ;  that  you  do  not  care  for.     It  is  not  orderly, 
you  say.     We  need  not  tell  you  the   thing  is  right; 
you    care    more    about    things    being    ancient    than 
being  good.     Ah,  you  will  have  to  get  out  of  the  way 
now;  it  isn't  any  good;   you  may  try  to  stop  us,  but 
we  will  run  over  you  if   you  do  not  get  out  of  the 
way.     With  a  little  warning  we  shall  have  to  run  over 
your  prejudices  and  incur  your  anger.    But  your  preju- 
dices must  not,  cannot,  restrain  us.     The  chain  may 


246  THE   GREAT   REVIVAL 

be  never  so  rusty  with  age  and  never  so  stamped  with 
authority,  the  prisoner  is  always  happy  to  break  it  and, 
however  your  fetters  may  shackle  us,  we  will  dash 
them  in  pieces  if  they  stand  in  the  way  of  the  progress 
of  the  kingdom  of  Christ. 

Having  thus  spoken  to  those  who  hinder,  I  want  to 
speak  to  you  who  love  Jesus  with  all  your  hearts  and 
want  to  promote  it.  Dear  friends,  I  beseech  you 
remember  that  men  are  dying  around  you  by  thou- 
sands. Will  you  let  your  eye  follow  them  into  the 
world  of  shades?  Myriads  of  them  die  without  God, 
without  Christ,  without  hope.  My  brother,  does  not 
their  fearful  fate  awaken  your  sympathy?  You  believe, 
from  Scriptural  warrant,  that  those  who  die  without 
faith  go  to  that  place  where  "their  worm  dieth  not  and 
their  fire  is  not  quenched."  Relieving  this,  is  not 
your  soul  stirred  within  you  in  pity  for  their  fate? 
Look  around  you  to-day.  You  see  a  vast  host  gathered 
together,  professedly  for  the  service  of  God.  You  know 
also  how  many  there  are  here  who  fear  Him  not,  but 
are  strangers  to  themselves  and  strangers  to  the  cross. 
What !  Do  you  know  yourself  what  a  solemn  thing  it 
is  to  be  under  the  curse,  and  will  you  not  pray  and 
labor  for  those  around  you  that  are  under  the  curse 
to-day?  Remember  your  Master's  cross.  He  died  for 
sinners;  will  not  you  weep  for  them? 

*'Did  Christ  o'er  sinners  weep; 
And  shall  your  cheek  be  dry?" 

Did  He  give  His  whole  life  for  them,  and  will  not  you 
stir  up  your  life  to  wrestle  with  God,  that  His  purposes 
may  be  accomplished  on  their  behalf?  You  have 
unconverted  children — do  you  not  want  them  saved? 


THE   GREAT   REVIVAL  247 

You  have  brothers,  husbands,  wives,  fathers,  that  are 
this  day  in  the  gall  of  bitterness,  and  in  the  bonds  of 
iniquity — do  you  not  want  a  revival,  even  if  it  were 
only  for  their  sakes?  Behold,  how  much  of  robbery, 
of  murder,  of  crime,  stains  this  poor  land.  Do  you 
not  want  a  revival  of  religion,  if  it  were  merely  for 
quenching  the  flames  of  crime?  See  how  God's  name 
every  day  is  blasphemed.  Mark  how,  this  day,  trades 
are  carried  on,  as  if  it  were  man's  day,  and  not  God's. 
Mark  how  multitudes  are  going  the  downward  course, 
merry  on  their  way  to  destruction.  Do  you  not  feel 
for  them?  Are  your  hearts  hard  and  stolid?  Has  your 
soul  become  steeled?  Has  it  become  frozen  like  an  ice- 
berg? O  Sun  of  Righteousness,  arise!  and  melt  the  icy 
heart  and  make  us  all  feel  how  fearful  it  is  for  immor- 
tal souls  to  perish — for  men  to  be  hurried  into  eternity 
without  God,  and  without  hope.  O,  will  you  not 
now,  from  this  time  forth,  begin  to  pray  that  God  may 
send  forth  His  Word  and  save  them,  that  His  own  name 
may  be  glorified? 

As  for  you  that  fear  not  God,  see  how  much  ado  we 
are  making  about  you.  Your  souls  are  worth  more 
than  you  think  for.  O  that  ye  would  believe  in 
Christ,  to  the  salvation  of  your  souls! 


MISCELLANEOUS 

We  are  indebted  to  the  editor  of  The  Epworth  Herald  for  the 
privilege  of  reprinting  the  articles  in  this  section.  They  have 
appeared  in  several  of  the  special  Revival  Numbers  of  The 
Epworth  Herald  and  are  specially  helpful  and  suggestive. 

THE   WORK   OF   THE   SPIRIT 

REV.     JOSHUA     STANSFIELD 

In  revival  work  the  spirit  counts  for  more  than  any- 
thing else ;  not  alone  the  Holy  Spirit  in  personal  work 
upon  the  unconverted,  but  the  spirit  of  Christ  and  of 
holy  zeal  as  made  known  in  the  believer.  Neither 
numbers  nor  prestige  is  the  determining  factor.  It  is 
not  by  might  nor  by  power,  but  by  my  spirit  saith  the 
Lord.  That  is  to  say,  success  is  not  primarily  nor 
principally  by  either  intellectual,  numerical  or  organ- 
ized advantage,  but  by  the  spirit  of  God  in  the  work- 
ers. 

Numbers,  caliber  and  organized  effort  may  be 
an  advantage  or  a  disadvantage.  The  brightest  and 
brainiest  of  our  workers  may  always  be  used  to  high- 
est advantage  if  their  work  be  in  the  Spirit.  Other- 
wise, they  are  seeking  results  according  to  the  capital 
invested  —  namely,  brains,  brilliance,  social  prestige 
and  systematic  work.  By  these  they  may,  and  prob- 
ably will,  secure  accretions  to  the  church,  but  not 
conversions.     In  our  glorious  twentieth-century  move- 

248 


MISCELLANEOUS  249 

ment,  the  aim  is,  and  should  be,  to  secure  conversions — 
persons  who  have  received  Christ  and  thereby  become 
the  sons  of  God.  Persons  born,  not  of  blood  nor  of 
the  will  of  the  flesh  nor  of  the  will  of  man,  but  of 
God. 

Let  it  be  clearly  understood,  then,  that  with  excel- 
lent material  and  numbers,  or  without  them,  God  can 
work  unto  salvation.  He  can  use  the  many  or  the 
few;  the  few  or  the  many.  But  success  depends 
largely  upon  the  spiritual  character  and  condition  of 
the  workers. 

On  one  of  my  first  charges,  in  the  earlier  years  of 
our  young  people's  work,  after  diligent  and  careful 
attention  to  the  matter,  we  secured  a  weekly  attend- 
ance of  seven  persons.  This  continued  for  nearly 
eight  months,  during  v/hich  time  we  had  systematic 
and  faithful  work  according  to  the  organization  under 
which  we  were  then  living.  As  early  as  possible  after 
the  organization  of  the  Epworth  League  we  became  a 
chapter  of  the  same,  and  the  spirituality  and  fidelity 
of  these  faithful  few  were  the  nucleus  from  which 
there  grew  one  of  the  most  vigorous  chapters  of  the 
league,  and  has  so  continued  to  this  day.  Success  has 
been  not  by  numbers,  but  by  the  spirit  in  and  of  the 
membership. 

Take  an  apposite  case.  Last  year  I  conducted 
special  revival  meetings  at  Albion  College,  Michigan. 
Of  the  four  hundred  or  more  students  in  the  college, 
over  seventy  percent  were  Christians ;  some  of  them 
were  only  nominally  so,  but  a  goodly  number  both  of 
the  young  men  and  young  women  rejoiced  in  the 
indwelling  of  the  Holy  Spirit. 

I  found  among  them  some  of  the  brightest  young 


2SO  MISCELLANEOUS 

people  it  has  ever  been  my  privilege  to  meet,  using 
the  best  of  their  powers  in  the  highest  of  all  work,  the 
salvation  of  souls.  There  were,  however,  on  the  part 
of  about  fifty  persons,  an  intelligent  consecration  for 
spiritual  power  and  an  intense  zeal  in  their  labors  such 
as  I  have  not  seen  for  many  years,  if  indeed  ever. 
Private  prayer  and  group  prayer  meetings  between 
class  hours;  personal  and  written  invitations  to  the 
unsaved  to  come  to  Christ;  deputations  of  two  persons 
or  more  to  bring  certain  individuals  to  the  services; 
an  accurate  list  of  the  names  of  all  the  students,  with 
the  church  standing  and  largely  the  present  religious 
condition  of  each  person. 

A  grand  revival  did  not  "break  out. "  It  came.  It 
had  to  come  from  such  conditions.  On  the  fourth  day 
of  the  meeting  seventy-five  persons  were  at  the  altar 
at  one  time.  The  president  and  professors,  as  well  as 
a  number  of  the  fourth-year  men,  were  pointing  the 
unsaved  to  Christ  and  the  unsanctified  to  a  better 
life. 

Of  all  the  young  men  who  came  forward  not  one 
came  alone,  for  some  spirit-filled,  earnest  Christian 
either  brought  them  or  came  with  them.  One  hundred 
and  two  persons  gave  intelligent  testimonies  to  saving 
grace  in  twenty  minutes  on  the  closing  evening.  But 
surely  one  of  the  brightest  parts  of  that  whole  work  was 
to  see  the  president,  professors  and  senior  men — 
strong,  cultured  men — leading  souls  into  the  kingdom. 

With  such  conditions  and  such  a  spirit  it  was  not 
surprising  that,  before  the  brief  meeting  closed,  it  was 
stated  that  there  were  not  twelve  unconverted  students 
who  had  not  been  to  the  altar  in  prayer. 

**It  is  not  by  might,  nor  by  power,  but  by  my  Spirit, 


MISCELLANEOUS  251 

saith  the  Lord. "  Let  the  weakest  person  or  chapter  in 
our  league  take  courage.  Here  is  our  help.  Let  the 
largest  and  best  of  our  Epworthians  bring  all  they 
have  and  are  to  the  direction  and  endowment  of  that 
same  divine  spirit,  and  our  beloved  Methodism  shall 
surely  record  two  million  conversions  and  more,  to  the 
glory  of  God  in  the  church. 


HONORING  THE   HOLY   SPIRIT 

REV.   W.   S.   HARRINGTON,   D.D. 

The   place — the   small  village  of   S N ,   in 

Chenango  County,  N.  Y.  The  time — 1840,  or  '41. 
The  spiritual  condition  of  the  community  was  one  of 
stagnation. 

In  this  town  stood  a  Methodist  house  of  worship, 
and  by  its  side  the  home  of  a  Methodist  physician.  In 
that  home  was  a  commodious  kitchen  where  the  social 
meetings  of  the  church  were  often  held.  The  society 
was  small  and  its  members  did  not  feel  able  to  supply 
fuel  and  lights  for  special  services  in  the  church 
edifice.  The  circuit  was  large  and  the  pastor  unavail- 
able at  that  point  because  employed  elsewhere.  A  few 
devout  souls  gathered  in  that  kitchen  night  after 
night,  crying  mightily  to  God  for  help.  He  heard 
and  answered  the  cry  of  these  hungry  ones.  The 
Spirit  fell  upon  them.  Believers  were  sanctified. 
These  tidings  reached  the  ears  of  those  who  had  been 
uninterested  and  they  began  to  come  to  the  meetings. 
Sinners  were  converted.  Night  after  night  every 
unconverted  person  in  attendance  was  brought  to 
Christ.     Some   curious  ones  hardly   dared   enter,    so 


252  MISCELLANEOUS 

they  stood  outside  observing  the  course  of  the  meet- 
ing. Some  of  these,  while  standing  outside,  were 
stricken  with  conviction,  and  came  into  the  house  cry^ 
ing  for  mercy. 

One  very  small  boy  who  belonged  to  that  home  can 
never  forget  those  services,  so  Spirit-filled,  so  preg- 
nant with  good  to  many  people.  That  home  belonged 
to  the  father  of  this  writer.  That  small  boy  was 
myself.  I  do  not  know  of  any  others  living  who  had 
part  in  those  wonderful  meetings,  but  the  memory 
thereof,  after  these  sixty  years,  continues  to  warm  my 
heart  and  has  been  an  inspiration  to  me  through  the 
more  than  forty  years  of  my  ministry. 

The  conditions  above  named  were  very  unfavorable, 
but  as  these  devout  souls  pleaded  for  the  Holy  Spirit, 
the  divine  promises  were  to  them  fulfilled.  Nothing 
is  too  hard  for  God.  No  place  is  so  remote,  no  society 
is  so  weak,  but  there  may  be  a  glorious  revival  if  the 
Holy  Spirit  is  properly  honored.  *'Ye  shall  receive 
power  after  that  the  Holy  Ghost  has  come  upon  you." 


THE   REVIVAL  WITH   A   PLAN 

REV.    ISAAC    CROOK,   D.D. 

It  began  in  my  study.  I  was  a  "transfer."  My 
predecessor,  a  gifted,  beloved  man  with  entrancing 
pulpit  ability,  had  twice  served  that  same  church.  He 
was  idolized,  and  deserved  it. 

The  church  was  generous,  magnanimous,  thrifty, 
but  had  not  grown  by  revivals.  The  young,  vigorous 
city — Winona,  Minn. — had  seen  little  of  that  sort  of 
work.     The  writer  was  not  a  ** revivalist.'* 


MISCELLANEOUS  253 

Seated  in  my  study  one  forenoon,  some  time  after 
conference,  prayerfully  thinking  over  the  state  of  the 
church,  a  plan  of  campaign  broke  in  upon  me.  I 
resolved  to  propose  it  to  the  official  board  at  the  next 
meeting.  When  it  was  outlined,  one  of  the  younger 
men  of  the  board  promptly  moved  its  adoption.  It 
was  done  with  a  unanimity  that  brought  assurance  of 
victory.  It  was  of  the  Lord.  The  main  feature  of  the 
plan  was  a  visit  fro^n  the  church  to  the  church  and 
congregation.  A  committee  was  selected  to  choose 
workers  and  assign  the  work.  It  required  many  a 
night's  session  and  careful  adjustment.  No  battle  was 
ever  more  carefully  planned.  As  subsidiary  and 
essential  to  this  was  the  appointment  of  evening  meet- 
ings, to  which  the  people  were  to  be  invited.  But 
there  was  no  evangelist  nor  strange  singer  as  an  attrac- 
tion. 

The  visit  was  to  be  more  than  an  invitation.  It  was 
a  proposal  to  co-operate. 

Another  meeting,  at  eight  in  the  morning,  was 
announced,  not  solely  nor  mainly  as  a  prayer-meeting, 
but  as  a  council  of  war  and  to  plan  definite  work  for 
the  day.  Of  course,  there  was  prayer  for  help  to  do 
this,  but  no  throwing  off  duty  on  the  Lord. 

The  arrangement  was  a  sifting  process.  One  of  the 
committee,  a  man  of  large  business,  said : 

**This  is  ticklish  business.  What  if  we  have  not 
treated  some  of  these  folks  right  to  whom  we  are 
assigned?" 

*'Then  all  the  more  go  and  apologize,"  was  the 
answer. 

When  the  plan  was  ready  and  the  visitors  called  out, 
there  were  about  fifty  of  them.     The  request  was  made 


254  MISCELLANEOUS 

that  others  ready  to  do  visiting  should  tarry.  This  to 
prevent  a  feeling  that  any  were  slighted.  None  such 
reported,  so  well  had  the  work  been  done.  In  fact, 
some  of  the  visitors'  names  appeared  among  those  to 
be  visited.  There  was  no  "nobler  than  thou"  in  the 
arrangement.     It  was  a  co-operation. 

Soon  the  nightly  audiences  swelled  to  overflow. 
The  pastor  preached  a  short  sermon.  The  young 
people  sang  and  many  of  them  were  saved.  The 
church  members  personally  asked  seekers  to  go  with 
them  to  the  prayer-meeting  room  at  the  rear  of  the 
pulpit.  They  were  often  almost  in  the  kingdom 
before  they  had  walked  the  aisle  into  that  room,  where 
they  prayed,  talked,  sang  and  were  saved. 

Mary  C.  Nind,  then  out  on  her  missionary  district, 
coming  home  after  a  few  weeks  of  such  work,  said: 
*' What  has  come  to  pass?  I  meet  people  on  the  street, 
and  find  them  talking  religion.  We  never  saw  it  in 
this  fashion." 

Families  were  saved.  Drunkards  redeemed  and 
some  went  to  heaven  in  a  year's  time.  Children  born 
again.  Dance  clubs  broken  into.  One  young  man 
gave  up  an  inherited  fortune  to  come  with  us.  One 
young  woman  surrendered  a  marriage  engagement 
rather  than  Christ.  A  bookkeeper  in  a  wholesale 
liquor-house,  who  had  a  family  dependent  upon  him, 
left  his  desk.  He  never  suffered  and  went  home  in  a 
year.  Universalism  was  knocked  out  of  a  drunken 
policeman,  who  lost  his  place  on  the  force,  but  he  soon 
went  to  heaven.  A  Roman  Catholic,  heartbroken  over 
the  death  of  his  wife,  came  in  as  a  fruit  of  the  revival, 
and  said:  *'Had  I  known  what  I  was  missing  no  four- 
horse  team  could  have  kept  me  from  it."     The  work 


MISCELLANEOUS  255 

was  pervasive.  It  extended  by  correspondence  to  dis- 
tant states.     *' Those  were  days  of  the  Son  of  man." 

The  revival  had  three  essential  elements  in  it: 

It  came  as  an  answer  to  prayer. 

It  went  forward  by  lay -workers  in  co-operation. 

It  was  guided  by  the  Holy  Spirit. 

These  all  will  characterize  the  twentieth -century 
movement. 


SEVEN   VITAL   PARAGRAPHS 

CHARLES    W.    BALDWIN. 

1.  Make  up  your  mind  it  is  your  work  and  your 
people's,  and  by  God's  blessing  you  can  and  will  do  it. 

2.  Get  together  such  as  are  disposed  to  lay  hold  with 
you.  Pray  and  plan.  Pledge  all  you  can  to  personal 
effort,  immediate  and  continuous,  and  to  mighty 
prayer. 

3.  Before  public  meetings  are  held  visit  every  house. 
Take  with  you  the  best  man  or  woman  you  can.  Talk 
about  religion  and  the  revival  and  pray,  yourself  and 
assistant,  by  turns.     Make  your  visits  short. 

4.  Preach  the  Word.  Preach  Christ.  His  divine 
and  supernatural  character.  His  human  heart  of  love. 
His  readiness  to  forgive.  His  vicarious  death  and  His 
shameful  sufferings.  His  resurrection.  His  ascen- 
sion and  His  heavenly  intercession.  Declare  the 
judgment  day,  heaven  and  hell.  Preach  the  necessity 
of  being  born  again  and  invite  sinners  and  backsliders 
to  come  to  Jesus. 

5.  Have  your  best  people  around  the  altar  or  inside. 
Some  time  during  every  meeting  get  all  the  church,  if 


256  MISCELLANEOUS 

possible,  to  come  and  stand  around  the  altar.  If  the 
members  come  forward,  a  kind  and  urgent  request  to 
everybody,  who  wants  to  see  the  meetings  prosper,  to 
stand  in  the  pews  close  behind  the  church  members, 
will  usually  be  heeded.  Tact  and  perseverance  will 
get  nearly  all  to  move.  This  makes  the  congregation 
mobile  and  tractable,  and  one  step  may  be  followed  by 
another. 

6.  Exhort  much,  not  from  chancel  only,  but  up  and 
down  the  aisles,  and,  kneeling  with  the  people  in  the 
aisles,  pour  out  your  soul  in  prayer.  Let  all  see  that 
you  are  in  earnest. 

7.  Do  not  be  discouraged.  Keep  at  it  and  always  at 
it.  Love  the  work  and  devote  yourself  to  it.  Believe 
God,  and  thus  justify  your  name  as  a  believer. 
*' Knowing  the  terror  of  the  'Lor^ persuade  men." 


PRAYING-BANDS 

B.    H.    HART. 

One  thing  I  never  fail  to  do.  About  three  months 
before  I  begin  my  special  revival  services  I  begin  to 
preach  on  revival  themes  and  subjects  exclusively — to 
the  church  at  the  morning  service,  and  to  the  unsaved 
in  the  evening.  I  never  permit  special  services  of  any 
kind  to  interfere  with  this  purpose.  I  try  to  pack 
these  sermons  full  of  love,  compassion,  rewards,  etc., 
leaving  the  penalty  for  neglect  until  the  special  meet- 
ings are  well  under  way.  Another  great  help  to  me 
has  been  the  praying-band.  This  is  nothing  more 
than  a  company  of  young  men  or  women  (never  both) 
who  have  covenanted  with  the  pastor  to  go  wherever 


MISCELLANEOUS  257 

he  might  send  them  for  the  purpose  of  praying  with 
the  unsaved.  I  am  aware  that  other  pastors,  equ-ally 
happy  in  the  work  of  saving  men,  do  not  approve  of 
this  aid.  But  I  am  quite  certain  that  a  faithful  trial 
will  convince  them  of  its  efficiency.  In  what  I  am 
pleased  to  look  upon  as  the  greatest  revival  of  my 
ministry — one  in  which  more  than  four  hundred  souls 
were  converted — such  a  band  of  young  men  did  splen- 
did service.  They  would  go  anywhere,  at  any  hour  of 
the  day  or  night,  and  pray  with  anyone  I  might  sug- 
gest. 

GETTING   UNDER   WAY 

W.   p.   MACVEY. 

Several  specific  things  can  be  done : 

1.  You  will  be  impressed  that  certain  persons  ought 
to  be  reached.  Make  a  list  of  them — not  indiscrimi- 
nately of  the  unsaved,  but  of  all  for  whom  some  godly 
heart  is  burdened.  In  nine  cases  out  of  ten  ninety  per- 
cent of  such  people  will  be  saved,  and  ninety  percent 
of  the  total  converts  will  have  been  thus  listed. 

2.  You  will  "feel"  that  certain  persons  are  adapted 
to  be  lieutenants — not  because  of  position,  but  because 
the  Spirit  points  them  out  to  you.  Get  in  touch  with 
them,  work  with  them,  understand  them,  pray  to- 
gether. 

3.  Preliminary  meetings,  notably  cottage-meetings, 
are  in  order.  Let  the  lieutenants  have  charge  of 
them.  The  league  can  plan  them.  Let  the  people 
pray  until  they  are  burdened  for  the  salvation  of 
others.  Inquiry-meetings,  following  the  Sunday 
preaching  service,  prepare  the  way. 


258  MISCELLANEOUS 

4.  There  is  little  use  in  trying  to  reach  others  until 
the  heart  of  the  church  is  right.  When  this  beats 
responsive  to  the  heart  of  God  you  cannot  help  but 
save  others ;  an  irresistible  spiritual  law  works  out  that 
result. 

5.  Abundant  visitation,  judicious  advertising,  inspir- 
ing music,  good  janitorship,  cordial  ushering,  reason- 
able hours  (there  is  no  need  to  tire  the  people  out),  all 
contribute  to  success. 

But  life  is  the  gift  of  God  and  a  revival  is  the  work 
of  the  Holy  Spirit. 


AN   IMPORTANT   FACTOR   IN    REVIVALS 

REV.    LOUIS    ALBERT    BANKS,   D.D. 

The  most  remarkable  conversions  which  have 
occurred  under  my  ministry  in  times  of  revival  have 
been  those  which  took  place  in  the  homes  of  people 
who  sometimes  had  not  been  present  at  all  in  the  meet- 
ings. Personal  visitation  by  the  pastor  and  wise 
Christian  workers  while  the  revival  is  going  on  is  a 
very  important  factor  in  revival  work. 


EXALT    PERSONAL    EFFORT 

REV.    GEORGE    B.    WIGHT,   D.D. 

Get  thoroughly  baptized  by  the  Holy  Spirit.  This 
will  give  you  a  proper  sense  of  the  importance  of  the 
work  of  saving  souls,  a  right  preparation  for  it,  and 
the  needed  enthusiasm  in  it,  without  which  there  can 
be  no  success.     This  is  more  important  than  all  human 


MISCELLANEOUS  259 

helps.  Evangelists,  music  and  methods,  all  have  their 
place  in  the  work,  but  power  and  result  come  from  the 
Spirit  only. 

Be  persistent  and  do  not  weary  in  well-doing. 
Some  meetings  accomplish  but  little  because  they  are 
discontinued  too  soon.  I  knew  a  meeting  to  be  held 
three  weeks  without  apparent  result;  at  nine  o'clock 
on  the  evening  which  began  the  fourth  week,  not  a  per- 
son had  been  forward ;  at  quarter  past  nine,  forty  were 
seeking  salvation  and  a  great  work  followed.  Results 
belong  to  God,  so  do  not  be  discouraged  if  they  are 
not  seen  at  once.  Work  faithfully  and  pray  earnestly 
and  leave  the  rest  to  Him. 

Personal  work  is  of  the  utmost  importance.  You 
can  do  much  in  the  public  meeting,  but  much 
preparatory  work  can  be  accomplished  by  personal 
interviews  with  the  unconverted  at  their  homes  or 
places  of  business.  I  have  often  heard  expressions  of 
surprise  because  certain  persons  went  to  the  altar, 
when  no  one  knew  they  were  under  concern;  but  I 
was  not  at  all  surprised,  for  I  knew  what  good  brother 
or  sister  had  for  days  been  quietly  working  up  those 
cases.  I  cannot  too  strongly  urge  upon  you  this  per- 
sonal work.  Persistent,  intelligent  and  systematic, 
when  directed  by  the  Holy  Spirit,  it  will  be  more 
effective  than  any  other  agency  you  can  employ  except 
the  direct  preaching  of  the  Word. 

From  a  number  of  cases  of  the  results  of  personal 
work  which  I  have  known,  the  following  may  be  of 
interest:  A  Sunday  School  teacher  once  told  me  that 
she  expected  her  entire  class  of  young  ladies  would  be 
converted  in  the  meetings  which  were  about  to  be  held 
in  her  village.     She  had  asked  God  for  their  souls  and 


36o  MISCELLANEOUS 

she  knew  He  would  answer  her  prayers.  With  this 
assurance  she  worked  judiciously  and  prayerfully  and 
the  result  was  according  to  her  faith ;  every  one  of  her 
class  was  soundly  converted  to  God. 


AN   UNLOOKED-FOR   REVIVAL 

REV.    ROBERT  WATT,   D,  D. 

The  subjoined  incident  may  be  of  some  service  to 
the  cause  of  Him  "whose  we  are  and  whom  we  serve." 
It  occurred  during  the  second  year  of  the  writer's 
ministry,  on  this  wise : 

The  usual  week-night  prayer  service  was  being 
held.  The  only  unusual  feature  that  evening  was  that 
a  visiting  minister  made  the  address.  His  remarks 
were  not  as  felicitous  as  could  have  been  desired,  and 
the  devotional  spirit  might  have  been  more  propitious. 
The  mention  of  a  special  service,  beginning  that  night, 
would  have  provoked  a  broad  smile.  It  seemed  wise, 
under  the  circumstances,  to  conclude  the  service. 
With  that  thought  in  mind  the  pastor  rose  to  announce 
a  closing  hymn.  At  that  juncture,  however,  an 
unlooked-for  event  happened.  There  came  upon  him 
an  almost  resistless  impulse  to  open  his  heart  to  the 
people.  And  yet  there  was  such  an  utter  absence  of 
so-called  "special  indications"  that  the  impulse  was 
about  to  pass  unheeded.  So  persistent,  so  insistent 
was  it  that  it  could  not  be  disregarded  entirely. 
Something  must  be  done,  and  quickly,  too,  for  the 
burden  was  becoming  unbearable. 

Relief  was  at  hand.     Seated  in  that  quiet  room  that 
autumnal    night  was    a  goodly  company   of    young 


MISCELLANEOUS  261 

people  whose  respect  and  love  had  been  gained  by  the 
pastor.  Why  not  make  use  of  this  to  win  them  to  the 
Master?  Surely  the  thought  was  divinely  given. 
The  fact  was  referred  to  in  those  closing  words. 
Allusion  was  made  also  to  the  heart-hunger  for  souls 
felt  by  every  true  pastor.  The  words,  falteringly 
spoken,  were  listened  to  with  an  interest  that  was  sur- 
prising. Feeling  deepened  and  intensified.  Many 
eyes  were  luminous  with  the  mist  of  unshed  tears. 

Why  not  open  the  door  of  opportunity  at  once? 
Without  waiting  to  parley  or  debate  the  wisdom  or 
unwisdom  of  such  a  course,  the  suggestion  was  acted 
on.  Imagine  the  feelings  of  that  inexperienced  pas- 
tor, when,  in  response  to  a  simple  invitation,  twelve 
young  people — some  of  whom  had  been  conspicuously 
careless  hitherto — rose  and  requested  the  prayers  of 
the  church !  It  is  needless  to  add  that  the  service  did 
not  close  at  the  usual  hour.  The  dreamed-of  revival 
had  come!  The  tide  must  be  taken  at  its  flood. 
Services  for  the  rest  of  the  week  were  announced,  and 
that  series  of  meetings  continued  for  over  six  weeks. 
The  revival  in  that  obscure  little  church  became  the 
subject  of  general  remark  throughout  the  whole  com- 
munity. Its  seen  results  were  seventy  souls  saved, 
believers  edified  and  a  discouraged,  struggling  church 
put  on  its  feet  so  that  it  became  one  of  the  best  charges 
in  the  conference. 

I  have  called  it  the  *  *unlooked-for  revival, "  for  such  it 
was.  There  was  no  season  of  formal  preparation,  no 
"Scolding  of  the  church — there  were  some  hearts  long- 
ing for  a  revival  and — it  came ! 

And  what  a  blessed  revival  it  was!  Its  memory 
abides  and,  not  infrequently,  has  it  proved  a  spiritual 


262  MISCELLANEOUS 

tonic  when  faith  was  languid  and  the  "signs"  lacking. 
How  my  heart  glows  as  it  all  comes  back  again  through 
the  mist  of  years !  And  with  this  memory  comes  this 
passage:  '*They  joy  before  thee  according  to  the  joy 
of  harvest,  and  as  men  rejoice  when  they  divide  the 
spoil."  Fortunate  the  pastor  and  the  church  who  are 
sensitive  to  the  presence  of  **the  King,"  and  whose 
faith  is  keen-visioned  enough  to  detect  the  sign  of  the 
Son  of  man. 

O   FOR  A   BAPTISM   OF  PRAYER! 

MRS.    M.   N.  VAN  BENSCHOTEN. 

He  was  the  principal  of  the  academy  in  the  place 
and  a  member  of  my  Bible-class.  I  had  been  told  he 
was  skeptical  in  his  views.  I  found  him  keen,  alert, 
and  appreciative.  For  three  months  I  prepared  every 
lesson  with  reference  to  him.  When  the  revival  serv- 
ices commenced  I  thought:  **Now  is  the  time  to  bring 
him  in."  For  two  weeks  he  was  indifferent  and  at 
times  frivolous.  One  afternoon  I  was  reading  about 
the  destruction  of  Sennacherib's  host,  when  suddenly 
I  could  read  no  more,  for  a  strange  strength  took  hold 
of  me.  I  said:  "This  mighty  God  is  ours.  He  is  the 
same  yesterday,  to-day  and  forever.  He  who  an- 
swered Hezekiah's  prayer  can  give  me  this  soul." 
I  arose  at  once  and,  with  a  commanding  faith  that 
thrilled  me,  I  slowly  ascended  the  stairs  to  my  secret 
place  of  prayer.  I  had  only  uttered,  *'Oh,  thou  God 
of  Hezekiah!"  when  a  tidal  wave  of  intercession  was 
rolled  upon  me.  An  hour  passed ;  but  still  I  wrestled 
against  the  powers  of  darkness,  and  with  God,  that 
Christ  might  gain  that  soul. 


MISCELLANEOUS  263 

At  last  a  great  calm  came  over  me.  I  heard  the 
rush  of  dark  wings ;  the  morning  broke ;  the  clear  light 
shone ;  I  knew  I  was  victor. 

That  night  I  could  not  go  to  meeting  and  I  learned 
he  was  not  there.  It  did  not  disturb  me;  it  had  passed 
out  of  my  hands;  all  anxious  care  was  gone.  The 
second  night  I  was  again  detained,  but  my  husband, 
on  his  return,  said:  "The  professor  was  there  and 
came  forward  and  was  gloriously  saved.  He  said  he 
had  been  under  great  conviction,  but  had  resisted,  for 
he  knew  if  he  was  converted  he  must  preach — *But,* 
said  he,  'I  have  surrendered,  and  Jesus  is  mine.'  " 

That  young  man  has  been  preaching  the  Gospel  for 
several  years. 

Oh,  Sunday  School  teacher,  pray  mightily  to  God, 
and  win  that  unsaved  soul  in  your  class  to  Jesus ! 


SUGGESTIVE  OUTLINES 

These  outlines  have  been  very  carefully  selected  from  the  pub- 
lished sermons  of  those  whose  preaching  has  been  blessed  to 
the  salvation  of  men.  The  outlines  are  obtained  by  reducing 
to  their  present  form  many  of  the  best  sermons  of  such  emi- 
nent evangelists  as:  D.  L.  Moody,  Charles  G.  Finney,  C.  H. 
Spurgeon,  Chas.  Ingles,  Harry  Moorehouse,  R.  A.  Torrey, 
and  others.  The  compilation  and  editing  is  by  the  editor  of 
this  volume.  THE  PUBLISHERS. 

REGENERATION 

"Jesus  answered  and  said  unto  him,  Verily,  verily,  I  say  unto 
thee,  except  a  man  be  born  again,  he  cannot  see  the  kingdom  of 
God."— John  3:  3. 

I.  Regeneration  is  an  absolute  necessity. 

II.  What  regeneration  is  not. 

1.  It  is  not  going  to  church. 

2.  It  is  not  good  works. 

3.  It  is  not  reformation. 

4.  It  is  not  baptism. 

5.  It  is  not  the  Lord's  Supper. 

III.  Necessary   for   every   one  without  regard  to 

CHARACTER  OR  REPUTATION. 

IV.  Not  THE  WORK  of  man,  but  OF  God. 

V.  Wrought  through  faith  in  Jesus  Christ. 

VI.  Accomplished  by  the  Holy  Spirit. 

VII.  The  only   way   to   see  heaven   and   heavenly 
things. 

I.  Changed  into  a  new  man  with  a  new  nature. 
364 


SUGGESTIVE   OUTLINES  265 

2.  With  power  to  overcome  temptation. 

3.  Fitness  to  dwell  in  heaven. 

4.  Singing  a  new  song. 

5.  Seeing  sainted  ones  in  glory. 

— D.   L.  M. 


THE  GOSPEL— I 

"The  Spirit  of  the  Lord  is  upon  me,  because  he  hath  anointed 
me  to  preach  the  Gospel  to  the  poor."— Luke  4:  18. 

I.  What  is  the  Gospel? 

II.  Good  tidings. 

1.  Takes  away  the  fear  of  death. 

2.  Tells  us  we  shall  rise  again. 

3.  Promises  the  forgiveness  of  sins. 

4.  Gives  assurance  of  everlasting  life. 

5.  Proclaims   God's   love  for  even  the  chief  of 

sinners. 

D.   L.   M. 

THE   GOSPEL— II 

"The  Spirit  of  the  Lord  is  upon  me,  because  he  hath  anointed 
me  to  preach  the  Gospel  to  the  poor."— Luke  4:18. 

I.  To  WHOM  SHALL  THE  GOSPEL  BE  PREACHED? 

1.  To  every  creature. 

2.  To  the  sinning  and  to  the  unworthy. 

3.  To  all  who  take  the  place  of  guilty  sinners. 

II.  For  whom  is  there  blessing? 

1.  For  all  the  poor  and  needy. 

2.  For  those  who  believe  Christ  died  in  their  stead. 

3.  For  all  who  accept  Him. 

D.   L.  M. 


266  SUGGESTIVE  OUTLINES 

CHRIST  AS  A  DELIVERER 
"Shall  the  prey  be  taken  from  the  mighty,  or  the  lawful  captive 
delivered?  But  thus  saith  the  Lord,  Even  the  captives  of  the 
mighty  shall  be  taken  away,  and  the  prey  of  the  terrible  shall  be 
delivered :  for  I  will  contend  with  him  that  contendeth  with  thee, 
and  I  will  save  thy  children."— Isaiah  49:  24,  25. 

I.  There  are  two  classes  of  people. 

1.  Those  bound  by  Satan. 

2.  Those  delivered  by  Jesus. 

II.  Some  do  not  know  they  are  bound  by  satan. 

III.  All  are  born  into  slavery. 

IV.  Christ  came  to  deliver  the  captives. 

V.  The  proclamation  of  deliverance  is  to  all. 

VI.  To  KNOW  the  truth  is  to  be  made  free. 

VII.  Christ  delivers  now  from  the   power  of  every 

SIN. 

VIII.  All  who  believe  in  Him  are  delivered. 

-d.  l.  m. 

COMPASSION   OF   CHRIST 

"And  Jesus  went  forth,  and  saw  a  great  multitude,  and  was 
moved  with  compassion  toward  them,  and  he  healed  their  sick." — 
Matt.  14: 14. 

I.  Christ  knows  the  history  of  each  one  of  us. 

II.  He  is  moved  with  compassion  when  we  tell  it 
over  to  Him. 

III.  A  sinner's  confession  moves  Christ  with  compas- 
sion. 

IV.  Christ  has  compassion  for  all  kinds  of  sinners. 

V.  He  receives  all  who  come  to  Him  with  any  dis- 
tress. 

VI.  The  sad  stories  of  your  life  will  move  His  heart 
with  compassion. 

— d.  l.  m. 


SUGGESTIVE   OUTLINES  367 

CHRIST'S   MISSION   TO   THE   WORLD 

"For  the  Son  of  man  is  come  to  seek  and  to  save  that  which  is 
lost" — Luke  19: 10. 

I.  God  sent  His  Son  into  the  world  to  do  a  work. 

II.  He  gave  Him  power  to  do  that  work. 

III.  Ask  Him  to  use  His  power  in  your  behalf. 

IV.  He  gives  an  instantaneous  salvation. 

V.  His  salvation  is  genuine  and  thorough. 

VI.  Salvation  is  for  those  who  are  lost. 

VII.  Take  the  place  of  a  lost  sinner  and  be  saved. 

— D.  l.  m. 

RETRIBUTION 

"Son,  remember. "—Luke  16.25. 

I.  There  is  everlasting  retribution,  future  punish- 
ment. 

II.  There  will  be  a  quickened  memory  and  condemn 
nation  for  all  sin. 

III.  The  Bible  plainly  teaches  future  retribution, 

IV.  Justice  demands  that  there  be  future  retribu- 
tion. 

V.  There   is   a   place   where  Jesus  will   not   come 
offering  salvation. 

VI.  Present  Christian  privileges  despised,  will  there 
be  remembered  for  judgment. 

VII.  A    REAPING    in  kind    MUST    FOLLOW    THE    SOWING  OF 
TARES. 

VIII.  Grace  refused  hardens  the  heart  and  makes 

FUTURE  RETRIBUTION  MORE  SURE. 

IX.  Mercy  spurned  makes  a  death-bed  the  fearful 

BEGINNING  OF  UNENDING  PUNISHMENT. 

— D.   L.  M. 


36S  SUGGESTIVE   OUTLINES 

LOVE 

"Finally,  brethren,  farewell.  Be  perfect,  be  of  good  comfort, 
be  of  one  mind,  live  in  peace:  and  the  God  of  love  and  peace 
shall  be  with  you."— 2  Cor.  13:  11. 

God  is  love. 

I.  His  love  is  universal. 

II.  His  love  is  unchangeable. 

III.  His  love  is  everlasting. 

IV.  His  love  is  unfailing.  — d.  l.  m. 

CONFESSING   CHRIST 
"For  with  the  heart  man  believeth  unto  righteousness;  and 
with  the  mouth  confession  is  made  unto  salvation." — Rom.  10:  10. 

I.  Confessing  Christ  must  follow  believing  on  Him. 

II.  Some  professed  Christians  are  moral  cowards. 

III.  Christians  are  in  darkness  because  they  do  not 
confess  Christ. 

IV.  Pride  is  the  one  hindrance  to  their  confession. 

V.  Christ  confesses  in  heaven  those  who  confess  Him 
ON  earth. 

VI.  Confessing  Christ  brings  great  blessings  in  this 
life. 

VII.  Confession  of  salvation  through  Christ  leads 
OTHERS  TO  Him.  — D.  L.  m. 

SEEKING   THE   LORD 
"Seek  ye  the  Lord  while  he  may  be  found,  call  ye  upon  him 
while  he  is  near. "—Isaiah  55:  6. 

I.  The  sinner  seeking  the  Lord. 

II.  It  is  a  direct  command. 

III.  With  all  the  heart. 

IV.  Must  be  in  earnest. 

V.  While  He  is  near. 

VI.  When  He  may  be  found.  — d.  l.  m. 


SUGGESTIVE   OUTLINES  269 

GRACE— I 

I.  What  is  grace? 

II.  It  is  a  free  gift. 

III.  Unto  whom  is  it  given? 

1.  To  those  who  confess  they  are  lost. 

2.  To  those  who  take  the  lowest  place. 

3.  To  those  who  know  they  are  unworthy. 

4.  To  those  who  stop  working  for  salvation. 

5.  To  all  men.  — d.  l.  u 

GRACE— II 

I.  Law  cannot  save  the  sinner. 

II.  The  distinction  between  law  and  grace. 

III.  What  is  it  to  be  under  grace? 

IV.  Unbelief  is  a  hindrance  to  grace. 

V.  How  TO  BE  PARTAKERS  OF  GRACE. 

VI.  Every  necessity  is  provided  for  in  grace. 

— d.  l.  m. 

WHAT  WILL   YOU    DO   WITH   JESUS?       ^ 
"Pilate  saith  unto  them,  What  shall  I  do  then  with  Jesus  which 
is  called  Christ?" — Matt.  27:  22. 

I.  It  IS  A  direct  question. 

II.  It  is  a  disturbing  question. 

III.  It  is  a  personal  question. 

IV.  It  is  an  imperative  question. 

V.  It  is  a  present  question.  — d.  l.  m. 

ON   TRUSTING   IN    THE    MERCY   OF   GOD 
"I  will  trust  in  the  mercy  of  God  forever  and  ever." — Psa.  52:  8, 
I.   What  mercy  is, 

1.  Meicy  is  not  to  be  confounded  with  mere  good- 

ness. 

2.  Mercy  is  a  disposition  to  pardon  the  guilty. 

3.  Mercy  is  exercised  only  where  there  is  guilt. 


27©  SUGGESTIVE   OUTLINES 

4.  Mercy  can  be   exercised  no  farther  than  one 
deserves  punishment. 

II.  What  is  implied  in  trusting  in  the  mercy  of  God. 

1.  A  conviction  of  guilt. 

2.  That  we  have  no  hope  on  the  score  of  justice. 

3.  A  just  apprehension  of  what  mercy  is. 

4.  A  belief  that  He  is  merciful. 

5.  The  conviction  of  deserving  endless  punish- 

ment. 

6.  The   cessation   from   all   excuses  and  excuse- 

making. 

III.  The  conditions  on  which  we  may  safely  trust  in 
God's  mercy. 

1.  Public  justice  must  be  appeased. 

2.  We  must  repent. 

3.  We  must  confess  our  sins. 

4.  Make  restitution  so  far  as  lies  in  our  power. 

5.  Must  really  reform. 

6.  Go  the  whole  length  in  justifying  the  law  and 

its  penalty. 

7.  Must  be  entirely  submissive  to  those  measures 

of  the  government  bringing  him  to  conviction. 

8.  Must  close  in  cordially  with  the  plan  of  salva- 

tion. 

IV.  Mistakes  which  are  made  on  this  subject. 

I    Many  really  trust  in  justice  and  not  in  mercy. 

2.  Many  trust  professedly  in  the  mercy  of  God 

without    fulfilling  the   conditions  on   which 
mercy  can  be  shown. 

3.  Sinners  do  not  consider  that  God  cannot  dis- 

pense with  their  fulfilling  these  conditions. 

4.  Many  are  defeating  their  own  salvation  by  self- 

justification. 


SUGGESTIVE   OUTLINES  171 

5.  Many  pretend  to  trust  in  mercy  who  yet  profess 

to  be  punished  for  their  sins  as  they  go  along. 

6.  Persons,  in   the  letter,  plead  for  mercy  who 

often  rely  really  upon  justice. 

7.  Some  are  covering  up  their  sins,  yet  dream  of 

going  to  heaven. 

8.  We  cannot  ask  for  mercy  beyond  our  acknowl- 

edged and  felt  guilt. 

(a)  If  we  ask  for  little  msrcy  we  shall  get  none 
at  all. 

(b)  To  deny  the  desert  of  endless  punishment  is 
to  render  salvation  impossible. 

(c)  All  are  not  saved  because  they  defeat  the 
efforts  God  makes  to  save  them. 

— c.  G.  r. 


THE    SAVIOR   LIFTED    UP,    AND   THE 
LOOK   OF   FAITH 

"As  Moses  lifted  up  the  serpent  in  the  wilderness,  even  so 
must  the  Son  of  man  be  lifted  up:  that  whosoever  believeth  in 
him  should  not  perish,  but  have  eternal  life." — John  3:  14,  15. 

"And  1,  if  I  be  lifted  up  from  the  earth,  will  draw  all  men 
unto  me.  This  he  said  signifying  what  death  he  should  die."— 
John  12:  32,  33. 

The  object  was  to  save  men  from  perishing. 
I.  Christ  must  be  lifted  up  as  the  serpent  was  ih 

THE  wilderness. 

1.  As  a  remedy  for  sin. 

2.  As  a  full  and  adequate  remedy. 

3.  As  a  present  remedy. 

4.  As  a  divinely  certified  remedy. 

5.  As  one  crucified  for  the  sins  of  men. 


272  SUGGESTIVE   OUTLINES 

II.  Christ  must  be  looked  at  when  He  is  lifted  up. 
I.  Look  expecting  divine  power  to  save. 
a.   Looking  to  Jesus  implies    that  we  look  away 
from  ourselves. 

3.  Salvation  must  be  the  object  for  which  they 

look. 

4.  Sinners  must  look  to  Christ  as  a  remedy  for  all 

sin. 

5.  Sinners   may  look   at   once  without   the   least 

delay. 

6.  Must  look,  for  blessings,  not  to  works,  but  to 

faith. 


Bemarkg 

1.  A  great  multitude  will  be  saved. 

2.  Faith  is  here  put  to  the  test. 

3.  Many  perish  through  mere  unbelief. 

4.  Many  are  stumbled  by  the  simplicity  of  the  Gos- 
pel. 

5.  Natural  man  seeks  for  a  way  of  salvation  credit- 
able to  himself. 

6.  Many  have  religion,  but  with  Christ  out  of  view. 

7.  Many  are  looking  for  some   wonderful  sign   or 
token. 

8.  Many  also  perish  from  delay. 

9.  Some  are  driven  oflE  into  the  wilderness  through 
despair. 

10.  Others  neglect  to  look  because  they  think  they 
are  improving. 

11.  Many  refuse  to  look  because  full  of  doubts. 

12.  Sinners     look     every    other    way    but     toward 
Christ.  — c.  G.  F. 


SUGGESTIVE  OUTLINES  273 

THE  EXCUSES  OF   SINNERS  CONDEMN  GOD 

*  'Wilt  thou  even  disannul  my  judgment?  Wilt  thou  condemn  me, 
that  thou  mayest  be  righteous?"— Job  40:  8. 

I.  Every  excuse  for  sin  condemns  God 

1.  Nothing  can  be  sin  for  which  there  is  a  justifi- 

able excuse. 

2.  If  God  condemns  that  for  which  there  is  a  good 

excuse,  He  must  be  wrong. 

3.  But  God  does  condemn  all  sin. 

4.  Consequently   every  excuse    for    sin    charges 

blame  upon  God. 

II.  Consider  some  of  these  excuses  in  detail 

1.  Inability. 

2.  Want  of  time. 

3.  A  sinful  nature. 

4.  Willing  to  be  a  Christian,  but  hindered. 

5.  Waiting  God's  time. 

6.  Circumstances  are  very  peculiar. 

7.  Temperament  is  peculiar. 

8.  Health  is  too  poor  to  go  to  the  meetings. 

9.  The  heart  is  so  hard  there  is  no  feeling. 

10.  My  heart  is  so  wicked  I  can't. 

11.  My  heart  is  so  deceitful. 

12.  I  have  tried  to  become  a  Christian. 

13.  It  will  do  no  good  to  try. 

14.  I  have  offered  to  give  my  heart  to  Christ,  but 

He  won't  receive  me. 

15.  There  is  no  salvation  for  me. 

16.  I  cannot  change  my  own  heart. 

17.  I  cannot  change  my  heart  without  more  convic- 

tion. 

18.  I  must  first  have  more  of  the  Spirit. 


274  SUGGESTIVE  OUTLINES 

19.  God  must  change  my  heart. 

ao.  I  can't  live  a  Christian  life  if  I  were  to  become 

a  Christian. 
ai.  This  is  a  very  dark  and  mysterious  subject. 
a  a.  I  can't  believe. 
2$,  I  can't  realize  these  things. 
34.  I  can't  repent 
III.  All  excuses  for  sin  add  i^msult  to  injury 

X.  A  plea  that  reflects  injuriously  upon  the  court 

is  an  aggravation  of  the  original  crime. 
a.  A  plea  that  is  false,  made  in  self -justification,  is 

an  aggravation  of  the  crime  charged. 
3.  It  is  truly  abominable  for  the  sinner  to  abuse 
God  and  then  excuse  himself  for  it. 

Remarks 

I.  No  sinner  under  the  light  of  the  Gospel  lives  a 
single  hour  in  sin  without  some  excuse  to  justify  him- 
self. 

a.  Excuses  render  repentance  impossible. 

3.  Sinners  should  lay  all  their  excuses  at  once 
before  God. 

4.  What  infinite  madness  to  rest  on  excuses  which 
you  dare  not  bring  before  God  now. 

5.  Sinners  don't  need  their  excuses.  God  does  not 
ask  for  even  one. 

6.  Sinners  ought  to  be  ashamed  of  their  excuses  and 
repent  of  them. 

7.  Admit  your  obligation  and  you  are,  of  course, 
estopped  from  making  excuses. 

8.  To  admit  the  obligation  and  still  plead  excuses  is 
to  insult  God  to  His  face  and  charge  Him  with  infinite 
tyranny.  — c.  g.  f. 


SUGGESTIVE   OUTLINES  »j$ 

THE   SPIRIT  NOT  STRIVING  ALWAYS 

And  the  Lord  said,  My  Spirit  shall  not  always  strive  with 
— Gen.  6:  3. 


I.  What  is  implied   in   the   assertion,  **My  spirit 

SHALL    not    always    STRIVE    WITH    MAN"? 

1.  That    the  Spirit    does  sometimes   strive  with 

man, 

2.  That  men  resist  the  Spirit. 

II.  What  is  not  intended  by  the  Spirit's  striving? 

III.  What,  then,  is  the  striving  of  the  Spirit? 

IV.  How  MAY  it  be  known  WHEN  THE  SpIRIT  OF  GOD 
STRIVES    WITH    AN    INDIVIDUAL? 

I.  When  one  finds  his  attention  arrested  to  the 

great  concerns  of  his  soul. 
a.  When  a  man  finds  himself  convinced  of  sin. 

3.  When  the  mind  is  convicted  of  the  great  guilt 

and  ill  desert  of  sin. 

4.  When  the  soul  is  convicted  of  the  guilt  of  unbe- 

lief. 

5.  When  men  see  the  danger  of  dying  in  their  sins. 

6.  When  sinners  feel  the  danger  of  being  given 

up  of  God. 

7.  When  sinners  are  convicted  of  the  great  blind- 

ness of  their  minds. 

8.  When  sinners  are  shown  their  total  alienation 

from  God. 

9.  When  men  are  convinced  that  they  are  ashamed 

of  Christ. 

10.  When  sinners  are  convicted  of  vorldly  minded- 

ness. 

11.  When  such  a  personal  application  of  the  truth 

is  made  as  to  fasten  the  impression. 


»76  SUGGESTIVE   OUTLINES 

I  a.  When  sinners  are  convinced  of  the  enmity  of 
their  hearts  against  God, 

13.  When  sinners  are  powerfully  convicted  of  the 

deceitfulness  of  their  own  hearts. 

14.  When,  not  infrequently,  the  sinner  is  stripped  of 

his  excuses,  and  clearly  shown  his  great  folly 
and  absurdity. 

15.  When  men  are  convicted  of  the  folly  of  seeking 

salvation    in    any  other    way  than   through 
Christ  alone. 

16.  When  men  are  convinced  of  the  great  folly  and 

madness  of  clinging  to  an  unsanctifying  hope. 

17.  When  sinners  are  convinced  that  all  their  good- 

ness is  selfish. 

18.  When  self-deceived  men  feel  that  they  are  now 

having  their  last  call  from  the  Spirit. 

V.  What  is  intended  by  the  Spirit's  not  striving 

ALWAYS  ? 

VI.  Why  God's  Spirit  will  not  strive  always. 

1.  Because  longer  striving  will  do  the  sinner  no 

good. 

2.  Because  to  strive  longer  not  only  does  the  sin- 

ner no  good,  but  positive  evil. 

3.  Because  sinners  sin  willfully  when  they  resist 

the  Holy  Ghost. 

4.  Because  their  resistance  tempts  the  forbearance 

of  God. 

5.  Because  there  is  a  point  beyond  which  forbear- 

ance is  not  a  virtue. 

VII.  Consequences  of  the  Spirit's  ceasing  to  strive 
with  men. 

I.  A  confirmed  opposition  to  religion. 


SUGGESTIVE   OUTLINES  277 

2.  An  opposition  to  revivals  and  to  Gospel  min- 

isters. 

3.  Men  betake  themselves  to  some  refuge  of  lies 

and  will  settle  down  in  some  form  of  fatal 
error. 

4.  Those  who  are  left  of   God  come  to   have   a 

seared  conscience. 

5.  This  class  of  sinners  will  inevitably  wax  worse 

and  worse. 

6.  Another  consequence  of  being  abandoned  by 

the  Spirit  will  be  certain  damnation. 

7.  Again  Christians  find  themselves  unable  to  pray 

in  faith  for  such  sinners. 

8.  When  the  Spirit  has  ceased  to  strive  with  sin- 

ners no  means  whatever,  employed  for  the 
purpose,  can  be  effectual  for  their  salvation. 

Remarks 

1.  Christians  can  account  for  the  fact  why  there  are 
some  for  whom  they  cannot  pray. 

2.  Sinners  should  be  aware  that  light  and  guilt  keep 
pace  with  each  other. 

— c.  G.  F. 

GOD'S   LOVE   COMMENDED   TO   US 

"But  God  commendeth  His  love  towards  us,  in  that  while  we 
were  yet  sinners,  Christ  died  for  us." — Romans  5:  8. 

I.  How  DOES  God  commend  His  love  to  us? 

II.  Why  does  He  commend  His  love  to  us? 

III.  He  would  show  that  His  love  is  unselfish. 

IV.  Again  God  designed  to  reveal  the  moral  char- 
acter OF  His  love  for  men,  especially  its  justice. 


278  SUGGESTIVE  OUTLINES 

V.  He  sought  in  thus  commending  His  love  to  us 
TO  subdue  our  slavish  fear. 

VI.  He  would  lead  us  to  serve  Him  in  love  and  not 

IN  BONDAGE. 

Remarks 

1.  We  see  that  saving  faith  must  be  the  heart's  belief 
of  this  great  fact  that  God  so  loved  us. 

2.  God  would  have  men  see  His  love  in  the  gift  of 
His  own  dear  Son. 

3.  Men  find  it  difficult  to  repent  because  they  do  not 
receive  this  great  fact  in  simple  faith. 

4.  In  no  other  way  could  God  so  forcibly  demon- 
strate His  great  love  to  our  race. 

5.  If  we  had  been  His  friends,  there  had  been  no 
need  of  His  dying  for  us. 

6.  It  is  not  sinless  beings  but  sinful  men  that  move 
God's  heart  to  its  very  foundations. 

7.  Christ  died  for  us  that  He  might  save  us;  not  in 
hvitfrom  our  sins. 

8.  You  must  infer  that  Jesus  is  willing  to  save  you 
from  wrath  if  you  truly  repent  and  accept  Him  as  your 
Saviour. 

9.  You  may  infer  that  God,  having  spared  not  His 
Son,  will  also  with  Him  freely  give  you  all  things  else. 

— c.  G.  F. 

SALVATION   OF  THE   LORD 

"Salvation  is  of  the  Lord."— Jonah  2:  9. 

Where  Jonah  learned  this  sentence  of  good  theology! 
I.    An  exposition  of  the  doctrine  of  salvation. 
1.  The  plan  of  salvation  is  entirely  of  God. 
a.  It  was  of  the  Lord  in  execution. 


SUGGESTIVE  OUTLINES  J79 

3.  It  is  of  the  Lord  in  the  application  of  it. 

4.  It  is  the  Lord  who  sustains  the  work  in  any 

man's  heart. 

5.  The  ultimate  perfection  of  salvation  is  of  the 

Lord. 

II.  How  God  has  hedged  this  doctrine  about. 

1.  Salvation  is  not  the  result  of  natural  tempera- 

ment. 

2.  It  is  not  the  minister  who  converts  men. 

III.  What   is — what   should  be  the   influence  of 

THIS  doctrine  upon  MEN? 

1.  With  sinners  it  is  a  great  battering-ram  against 

their  pride. 

2.  With  saints  it  keeps  from  error  and  distrust. 

3.  It  nerves  one  to  work  for  God. 

IV.  What  is  the  obverse  of  this  truth  ? 

I.  Salvation  is  of  God:  then  damnation  is  of  man. 

— c.  H.  s, 

SALVATION   TO   THE   UTTERMOST 

"Wherefore  he  is  able  to  save  them  to  the  uttermost  that  come 
unto  God  by  him,  seeing  he  ever  liveth  to  make  intercession  for 
them."— -Heb.  7:  25. 

Revelation  affords  us  a  complete  history  of  salva- 
tion.    Nowhere  else  can  we  find  any  trace  thereof. 

I.  The  people  who  are  to  be  saved. 

1.  Where  these  people  come  to. 

2.  How  they  come. 

3.  What  do  they  come  for? 

4.  In  what  style  do  these  persons  come? 

II.  What  is  the  measure  of  the  Saviour's  ability? 
I.  To  the  uttermost  extent  of  the  sinner's  guilt. 


28o  SUGGESTIVE   OUTLINES 

2.  To  the  uttermost  of  the  sinner's  rejection  of 

Him. 

3.  To  the  uttermost  of  the  sinner's  despair. 

4.  To  the  uttermost  of  the  saint's  distress. 

III.  Why  is  Jesus  Christ  able  to  save  to  the  utter- 
most? 

1.  Because  He  died  to  save. 

2.  Because  He  lives  to  make  intercession. 

(a)    A   warning.      There  is  a  limit   to   God's 

mercy. 
(d)  A  question.     Christ  has  done  so  much  for 

you;  what  have  you  ever  done  for  Him? 

c.  H.  s. 

THE    ROYAL   PREROGATIVE 

"He  that  is  our  God  is  the  God  of  salvation:  and  unto  God  the 
Lord  belong  the  issues  from  death.  But  God  shall  wound  the 
head  of  his  enemies,  and  the  hairy  scalp  of  such  an  one  as  goeth 
on  still  in  his  trespasses." — Ps.  68:  20,  21, 

We  gather  from  the  text  that  death  is  in  the  hand 
of  God;  that  escapes  from  death  are  manifestations 
of  His  divine  power  and  that  He  is  to  be  praised  for 
them. 

I.  The  sovereign  prerogative  of  God. 

1.  To  God  belongs  the  right  to  exercise  it. 

2.  The  Lord  has  the  power  of  this  prerogative. 

3.  The  Lord  has  actually  exercised  this  preroga- 

tive. 

4.  Let   Him   have   all   the  glory  of  it   for  your 

deliverance. 

II.  The  character  of  the  sovereign  in  whom  that 

PREROGATIVE  IS  VESTED. 


SUGGESTIVE   OUTLINES  281 

I.  Salvation    is   the   most   glorious   of   all   God's 

designs. 
a.  The  most  delightful  works  which  the  Lord  has 

performed  have  been  works  of  salvation. 
3.  To  those  who  can  call  him  *'Our  Lord,"   He  is 
specially  and  emphatically  the  God  of  salva- 
tion. 
III.     Hear  the  solemn  warning  of  our  Sovereign 
Lord. 

1.  He  will  by  no  means  spare  the  guilty. 

2.  He  is  not  indifferent  to  human  character. 

3.  He  has  the  power  to  smite  those   who   rebel 

against  Him. 

4.  He  will  smite  with  a  terrible,  even  an  utter, 

overthrow. 

— c.  H.  s. 

SALVATION    BY   KNOWING   THE    TRUTH 

"God  our  Savior:   who  will  have  all  men  to  be  saved,  and  to 
come  unto  the  knowledge  of  the  truth." — i  Tim.  2:  3,  4. 

It  is  the  wish  of  God  that  all  men  should  be  saved. 
I.     It  is  by  a  knowledge  of  the  truth  that  men  are 

SAVED. 

1.  It  is  a  knowledge  of  the  truth. 

(a)  This  knowledge  saves  him  from  carelessness. 
{V)  This  knowledge  saves  him  from  prejudice. 
{c)  This  knowledge  saves  him  from  despair. 

2.  How  a  saving  knowledge  works. 

(a)  Shows  a  man  his  personal  need  of  being 

saved. 
{p)   Reveals  the  atonement  by  which  we   are 

saved. 


flSa  SUGGESTIVE  OUTLINES 

(c)  Shows  us  what  that  faith  is  by  which  the 
atonement  becomes  available  for  us. 
3.  How  we  are  to  know  the  truth. 
{a)  By  a  believing  knowledge. 

(b)  By  a  powerful  knowledge. 

(c)  By  an  experimental  knowledge. 

II.      Two  INFERENCES. 

1.  To  you  that  are  seeking  salvation. 

2.  To  you  who  desire  to  save  sinners. 

— C.  H.  S. 

THE    PLAIN    MAN'S    PATHWAY    TO    PEACE 

"And  when  Jesus  departed  thence,  two  blind  men  followed 
him,  crying  and  saying.  Thou  son  of  David,  have  mercy  on  us. 
And  when  he  was  come  unto  the  house,  the  blind  men  came  to 
him :  and  Jesus  saith  unto  them,  Believe  ye  that  I  am  able  to  do 
this?  They  said  unto  him.  Yea,  Lord.  Then  touched  he  their 
eyes,  saying.  According  to  your  faith  be  it  unto  yoiL  And  their 
eyes  were  opened ;  and  Jesus  straitly  charged  them,  sajring,  See 
that  no  man  know  it." — Matt.  9:  ay-sa 

The  extreme  simplicity  of  the  cure.     Conversion  as 
a  work    of    the    Holy  Ghost  is    likewise  extremely 
simple. 
I.    Many  persons  are  much  troubled  in  coming  to 

Christ. 

1.  In  some  cases  it  is  ignorance. 

2.  In  many  cases  men  are  hindered  by  prejudice. 

3.  With  others  the  hindrance  lies  in  downright  bad 

teaching. 

4.  Then  there  is  the  natural  pride  of   the  human 

heart. 

5.  In  some  instances  the  trouble  arises  from  a 

singularity  of  mental  conformation. 


SUGGESTIVE   OUTLINES  383 

6.  Some  are  kept  from  coming  to  Christ  through 
remarkable  assaults  of  Satan. 

II.  This  is  not  at  all  essential  to  a  real  saving; 
TO  a  coming  to  the  Lord  Jesus  Christ. 

I.  It  is  very  hard  to  see  how  despairing  feelings 

can  be  essential  to  salvation. 
a.   Much  of  all  this  struggling  and  tumult  within, 

which  some  have  experienced,  is  the  work  of 

the  devil. 

3.  Many  instances  prove  that  all  this  law  and  work 

and  doubting  and  fearing  and  despairing  and 
being  tormented  by  Satan  are  not  essential, 
because  there  are  scores  and  hundreds  of 
Christians  who  came  at  once  to  Christ,  as 
these  two  blind  men  did,  and  to  this  very  day 
know  very  little  about  these  things. 

4.  There  are  all  the  essentials  of  salvation  in  the 

simple,  pleasant,  happy  way  of  coming  to 
Jesus  just  as  you  are. 

5.  The  Gospel  command  implies  in  itself  nothing 

of  the  kind,  which  some  have  experienced. 

III.  Those  persons  who  are  privileged  to  come  to 
Jesus  Christ  softly,  pleasantly  and  happily,  are 
NOT  losers. 

1.  They  may  lose  a  sensational  religious  experi- 

ence, but  there  is  not  much  in  that. 

2.  Do  not  suppose  that  persons  who  come  thus 

gently  lose  something  by  way  of  evidence 
afterwards. 

3.  Do  not  think  that  those  who  come  gently  to 

Christ  lose  a  good  deal  of  adaptation  for  after 
usefulness  because  they  will  not  be  able  to 
sjmipathize  with  those  who  are  in  deep  per- 


284  SUGGESTIVE   OUTLINES 

plexity  and  in  awful  straits  when  they  are 
coming  to  Christ.  — c.  h.  s. 

THE   GREAT   ARBITRATION   CASE 

"Neither  is  there  any  daysman  betwixt  us,  that  might  lay  his 
hand  upon  us  both." — ^Job  9:  33. 

There  is  an  old  quarrel  between  the  thrice  holy  God 
and  His  sinful  subjects,  the  sons  of  Adam.  The 
infinite  grace  of  God  proposes  an  arbitration. 

I.  What  are  the  essentials  of  an  umpire_,  an  arbi- 
trator OR  A  daysman? 

1.  Both  parties  should  be  agreed  to  accept  him. 

2.  Both  parties  must  be  fully  agreed  to  leave  the 

case  entirely  in  the  arbitrator's  hands. 

3.  To  make  a  good  arbitrator  it  is  essential  that  he 

be  a  fit  person. 

4.  He  should  be  a  person  desirous  to  bring  the 

case  to  a  happy  settlement. 

II.  Enter  into  the  court  where  the  trial  is  going 

ON  AND  SEE  THE  LEGAL  PROCEEDINGS  BEFORE  THE  GREAT 
DAYSMAN. 

1.  He  opens  His  court  by  laying  down  the  prin- 

ciples   upon   which    He   intends    to  deliver 

judgment. 
(a)  strict  justice. 
(5)  Fervent  love. 

2.  Next  He  calls  upon    the  plaintiff — the  Great 

Creator — to  state  His  case. 

3.  Then    the    defendant — the     guilty    sinner — is 

called  upon  by  the  daysman  for  his,  and  he 
pleads : 
(a)  1  confess  to  the  indictment,  but  I  say  I  could 
not  help  it. 


SUGGESTIVE   OUTLINES  285 

(d)  I  am  no  worse  than  other  offenders. 

(c)  I  have  done  a  great  many  good  things. 

(d)  I  promise  that  for  the  future  I  will  do  better. 
{e)  I  have  with  me  a  friend  to  help  me  out — 

Ritualism. 
(/)  I  have  nothing  more  to  plead,  I  appeal  to 
the  mercy  of  the  plaintiff. 

4.  The  plaintiff  declares  He  will  not  spare   the 

guilty ;  he  has  offended  and  he  must  die. 

5.  The  arbitrator  now  gives  Himself  for  the  sin- 

ner, with  the  pledge  to  suffer  in  His  own  proper 
person  all  that  the  weeping,  trembling  sinner 
ought  to  have  suffered. 
III.     Let  us  now  look  at  the  daysman's  success. 

1.  The  case  has  been  settled  conclusively. 

2.  The  case  has  been  settled  on  the  best  principles. 

3.  The  case  has  been  so  settled  that  both  parties 

are  well  content. 

4.  But  what  is  more  wonderful  still,  both  parties 

have  gained  the  case. 

5.  Both  parties  have  come  to  be  united  in   the 

strongest,  closest,  dearest  and  fondest  bond 
of  union. 

— c.  H.  s. 

ONLY  TRUST  HIM!  ONLY  TRUST  HIM! 

"And  as  lie  entered  into  a  certain  village,  there  met  him  ten 
men  that  were  lepers,  which  stood  afar  off,  and  they  lifted  up 
their  voices,  and  said,  Jesus,  Master,  have  mercy  on  us.  And 
when  he  saw  them,  he  said  unto  them,  Go  show  yourselves  unto 
the  priests.  And  it  came  to  pass,  that,  as  they  went,  they  were 
cleansed." — Luke  17: 12-14. 

It  was  required  by  the  Saviour  to  perform  an  act  of 
faith  in  Him  before  there  was  the  slightest  evidence 


iS6  SUGGESTIVE  OUTLINES 

in  themselves.     He  had  wrought  a  good  work  upon 
them. 

I.  What  signs  are  commonly  looked  for  by  uncon- 
verted MEN  AS  REASONS  FOR  BELIEVING  IN  ChRIST? 

1.  A  consciousness  of   great  sin   and  a  horrible 

dread  of  divine  wrath,  leading  to  despair. 

2.  The  experience  of  quite  a  blaze  of  joy  before 

they  can  trust  Christ. 

3.  Others  expect    a   text  to   be   impressed  upon 

their  minds. 

4.  Some  expect  an  actual  conversion  to  be  mani- 

fest in  them  before  they  will  trust  the  Sav- 
iour. 

5.  Others  have   an  idea  that  if  they  were  to  be 

saved  they  would  experience  some  very  sin- 
gular sensation. 

II.  What  the  reason  is  for  our  believing  in  Jesus 
Christ. 

1.  God's  witness  concerning  His  Son  Jesus  Christ. 

2.  The  next   warrant  for  our  believing  is  Jesus 

Christ  Himself. 

3.  Again,  the  warrant  for  believing  is  in  the  fact 

that  God  commands  us  to  believe. 

4.  Moreover,  there  is  the  promise  made  to  us  and 

to  every  creature:  ** Believe  in  the  Lord  Jesus 
Christ,  and  thou  shalt  be  saved." 

5.  These  poor  lepers  believed  because  they  had 

heard  of  others  whom  He  had  cleansed. 

III.  What  is  the  issue  of  this  kind  of  faith  that 

I    HAVE  been   preaching? 

I.  The  very  existence  of  such  a  faith  as  that  in  the 
soul  is  evidence  that  there  is  already  a  saving 
change. 


SUGGESTIVE   OUTLINES  287 

(a)  It  will  be  an  evidence  also  that  you  are 
humble. 

(d)  It  will  be  the  best  evidence  that  you  are 
reconciled  to  God. 
2.   Before  long,  sooner  or  later,  you  will  become 
delightfully  conscious  of  the  fact  that  you  are 
saved. 

(a)  By  simply  trusting  Christ  alone,  without  mir- 
acles, signs  or  evidences,  you  will  have  within 
you  a  power  which  will  carry  you  through 
life  and  preserve  you  in  holiness  even  to  the 
end. 

(d)  This  is  faith  to  die  with  as  well  as  to  live 
with ;  it  is  to  trust  because  of  what  /esus  is 
and  not  because  of  what  j^ou  are, 

— c.  H.  s. 

JESUS   ONLY 

"And  when  they  had  lifted  up  their  eyes,  they  saw  no  man, 
lave  Jesus  only." — Matt  17:  8. 

The  quiet  but  delightful  ordinary  fellowship  with 
** Jesus  only,"  which  ought  to  be  the  distinguishing 
mark  of  all  Christian  life,  is  better  for  every  day  than 
the  excessive  strain  of  the  transfiguration  glory. 
I.  What  might  have  happened  to  the  three  dis- 
ciples AFTER  THEY  HAD  SEEN  THE  TRANSFIGURATION. 

1.  They  might  have  seen  nobody  with  them  on 

the  holy  mount. 

2.  When  they  lifted  up  their  eyes  they  might  have 

seen  Moses  only. 

3.  As  a  third  alternative,  they  might  have  seen 

Elijah  only. 


288  SUGGESTIVE   OUTLINES 

4.   Or  they  might  have  seen  Moses  and  Elias  with 
Jesus. 

II.  What  really  did  happen. 

1.  "Jesus  only"  was  all  they  wanted  to  see  for 

their  comfort. 

2.  ** Jesus  only"  was  enough  as  their  power  for 

future  life. 

3.  ** Jesus  only"  shall  be  our  reward — to  be  with 

Him  where  He  is. 

III.  What  we  anxiously  desire    may    happen    to 

THOSE  WHO  HEAR  US. 

1.  For  ourselves  and  fellow  Christians,  that,  more 

and  more,  the  great  object  of  our  thoughts, 
motives  and  acts  may  be  "Jesus  only." 

2.  For  those  who  are  not  yet  believers  in  Jesus  our 

desire  is  that  this  may  happen  to  them — that 
they  may  see  "Jesus  only." 

— c.  H.  s. 

FAITH:  WHAT  IS  IT?     HOW  CAN  IT  BE 
OBTAINED? 

"By  grace  are  ye  saved  through  faith." — Ephes.  s:  £. 

The  fountain-head  of  our  salvation  is  the  grace  of 
God.  Faith  is  the  channel  along  which  the  flood  of 
mercy  flows  down  to  refresh  the  thirsty  sons  of  men. 
I.     Faith^  what  IS  IT? 

1.  It    is  made  up   of  three   things:    knowledge, 

belief  and  trust. 

2.  It  is  believing  that  Christ  is  what  He  is  said 

to  be. 

3.  It  is  believing  that  Christ  will  do  what  He  has 

promised. 


SUGGESTIVE   OUTLINES  289 

4.  It  is  expecting  this  of  Him. 

5.  Sometimes  it  is  little  more  than  a  simple  cling- 

ing to  Christ. 

6.  Another  form  of  faith  is  to  freely  follow  Christ 

as  a  leader. 

7.  Again,  one  exerts  faith  in  Christ  while  learning 

of  Him. 

8.  A  higher  form  of  faith  is  that  which  grows  out 

of  love. 

9.  Again,  faith  also  realizes  the  presence  of  the 

1  iTing  God  and  Saviour. 

10.  A  firm    form  of    faith   arises  out  of    assured 

knowledge. 

11.  This  faith  makes  it  easy  to  commit  our  soul  and 

all  its   eternal  interests  into   the   Saviour's 
keeping. 

II.  Why  faith  is  selected  as  the  channel  of  sal- 
vation. 

1.  Because  there  is  a  natural  adaptation  in  faith  to 

be  used  as  the  receiver. 

2.  Because  it  gives  all  the  glory  to  God. 

3.  Because  it  is  a  sure  method,  linking  man  with 

God. 

4.  Because  it  touches  the  springs  of  action. 

5.  Because  faith  again  has  the  power  of  working 

by  love. 

6.  Because,  moreover,  faith  creates  peace  and  joy. 

III.  How  CAN  WE  OBTAIN  AND  INCREASE  OUR  FAITH  ? 

1.  If  you  have  a  difficulty  concerning  faith,  take  it 

before  God  in  prayer. 

2.  The  Holy  Spirit  will  enable  you  to  believe  if 

you  hear  very  frequently  and  earnestly  that 
which  you  are  commanded  to  believe. 


290  SUGGESTIVE   OUTLINES 

3.  Next  consider  the  testimony  of  others. 

4.  Note  the  authority  upon  which  you  are  com. 

manded  to  believe. 

5.  Think  over  what  it  is  that  you  have  to  believe. 

6.  Think  upon  the  person  of  Jesus  Christ.     You 

cannot  doubt  Him. 

7.  Submit  yourself  to  God.     Yield  to  Him. 

— C.  H.  Sw 


ALL  THINGS  ARE   READY.     COME 

"Come,  for  all  things  are  now  ready." — Luke  14: 17. 

The  readiness  of  everything  on  God's  part  is  the 
argument  why  men  should  come  and  partake  of  His 
grace. 

I.  It   is   God's  habit   to   have   all   things  ready, 

WHETHER    FOR    HiS    GUESTS    OR    FOR    HiS  CREATURES. 

1.  God's  thoughts  go  before  men's  comings. 

2.  This  also  proves  how  welcome  those  are  who 

come. 

II.  This  readiness  should  be  an  argument  that 
His  saints  should  come  continually  to  Him  to 
find  needed  grace. 

1.  Therefore  come  to  the   storehouse  of  divine 

promise. 

2.  Come  next  to  the  mercy-seat  in  prayer. 

3.  Christ  is  always  ready  to  commune  with  His 

people. 

4.  All  things  are  ready  for  every  daily  duty. 

5.  Those  who  aspire  to  a  higher  degree  of  holiness 

can  come. 

III.  The  perfect  readiness  of  the  feast  of  divine 


SUGGESTIVE   OUTLINES  291 

MERCY  IS  EVIDENTLY  INTENDED  TO  BE  A  STRONG  ARGU- 
MENT WITH  SINNERS  WHY  THEY  SHOULD  COME  AT  ONCE. 

1.  Come,  for  all  things  are  now  ready. 

2.  Come,  for  all  things  are  now  ready, 

3.  Come,  for  all  things  are  now  ready. 

4.  Come,  for  all  things  are  now  ready. 

IV.    This  text  disposes  of  a  great  deal  of  talk  about 

THE   sinner's   readiness    OR    UNREADINESS. 

1.  The    unreadiness  of    those  who   were   bidden 

arose  out  of  their  possessions  and  out  of  their 
abilities. 

2.  Personal  condition  does  not  constitute  an  unfit- 

ness for  coming  to  Christ. 

3.  It  is  a  great  truth  that  what  we  regard  as  unfit- 

ness is  often  our  truest  fitness. 

— C.  H.  S, 


EVERY   MAN'S    NEED   OF   A    HIDING-PLACE 

Text:  "And  a  man  shall  be  as  an  hiding-place  from  the  wind, 
and  a  covert  from  the  tempest ;  as  rivers  of  water  in  a  dry  place, 
as  the  shadow  of  a  great  rock  in  a  weary  land." — Is.  32;  2. 

Introduction:  The  man  of  this  text  is  the  man  Christ 
Jesus.  Every  man  needs  a  hiding-place  from  five 
things:  The  displeasure  of  God;  his  own  conscience; 
the  power  of  sin  within;  the  power  of  Satan;  the 
wrath  of  God. 
I.     Every  man's  need  of  a  hiding-place. 

I.  From  the  displeasure  of  God,     All  have  sinned 

and  God  is  holy. 
a.  From  the  accusations  of  his  own  conscience.     No 
torment  like  the  torment  of  an  accusing  <X)n- 
science.     Illustrate  from  the  Bible,  literature 


292  SUGGESTIVE   OUTLINES 

and  experience.  Conscience  sometimes 
sleeps,  never  dies;  the  time  of  awakening 
comes.     Illustrate. 

3.  From  the  power  of  sin  within.     No  man  is  able 

in  his  own  strength  to  overcome  the  evil 
within.  Any  one  who  fancies  he  is,  is  self- 
deceived.     Illustrate. 

4.  Front  the  power  of  Satan.     Some  people  do  not 

believe  there  is  a  devil,  {a)  The  teaching  of 
the  Bible;  {p)  evidence  of  the  devil's  exist- 
ence all  around  us;  the  devil  is  too  cunning 
and  too  strong  for  us. 

5.  Fro7n  the  wrath  of  God.      Many  in  this  day  do 

not  believe  in  the  wrath  to  come,     {a)  The 
Bible  teaches  it  and  it  is  safe  to  depend  upon 
the  Bible ;  {b)  common  sense  also  teaches  it. 
II.     Christ  the  refuge  every  man  needs. 

1.  Christ  is  a  refuge  from  the  displeasure  of  God. 

(John.  Z'-Z^'^ — Experience. 

2.  Christ  is  a  refuge  from  the  accusations  of  con- 

science. 

3.  Christ  is  a  refuge  from  the  power  of  sin  within. 

(John  8:  36.)     Illustrations  from  life. 

4.  Christ  is  a  refuge  from  the  power  of  Satan. 

Satan  is  too  strong  for  us;  not  strong  enough 
for  Christ,    (i  John  4:4)   Illustrate  from  life. 

5.  Christ  is  a  refuge  from  the  wrath  to  come,     (i 

Thess.    i:  10.)     Common   sense  teaches  that 
the  Christ  who  can  save  us  from  the  power 
of  sin  here  can  save  us  from  the  consequenceg 
of  sin  hereafter. 
Conclusion:  Close  with  an  appeal. 

— R.  A.  T 


SUGGESTIVE  OUTLINES  293 

REFUGES   OF   LIES 

Text:  "The  hail  shall  [sweep  away  the  refuge  of  lies." — Is. 
28: 17. 

Introduction:  Every  man  needs  a  refuge  from  the 
displeasure  of  God,  the  accusations  of  his  own  con- 
science, the  power  of  sin  within,  the  power  of  Satan 
and  the  wrath  to  come.  Almost  all  men  have  some- 
thing in  which  they  are  trusting.  How  many  are 
trusting  in  a  false  refuge,  a  refuge  of  lies! 

I.  Tests  whereby  a  refuge  of  lies  can  be  known. 

A  true  refuge  must  have  five  characteristics: 
I.  It  must  meet  the  highest  and  the  fullest  demands 
of  our  own  conscience ;  if  it  does  not  it  is  not 
a  refuge  from  the  accusations  of  our  con- 
science ;  neither  is  it  a  refuge  from  the  dis- 
pleasure of  God. 
a.  Trust  in  it  must  make  us  better  men.  If  our 
refuge  is  not  making  us  better  men,  it  is  not 
a  refuge  from  the  power  of  sin  nor  the  power 
of  Satan;  neither  is  it  a  refuge  from  the 
wrath  of  God.  The  refuge  that  does  not  save 
us  from  the  power  of  sin  here  will  not  save 
us  from  the  consequences  of  sin  hereafter. 

3.  It  must  stand  the  test  of  the  dying  hour. 

4.  It  must  stand  the  test  of  the  judgment  day. 

5.  It  must  stand  the  test  of  God's  Word. 

II.  Refuges  of  lies. 

I.   Trusting  in  our  own  goodness.      Apply  the  tests 

gfiven  above. 
7.   Other  people's   badness.     *'I  am  not  as  bad  as 

other  men."     Apply  the  tests  given  above. 
3.  Hope  that  God  is  too  good  to  let  any  one  go  to 

hell.     Apply  tests. 


294  SUGGESTIVE   OUTLINES 

4.  Infidelity.     Apply  tests. 

5.  Religion.    To  have   religion   is  one  thing,   to 

have  Christ  is  another;  many  trusting  in  their 
performance  of  religious  duty.     Apply  tests. 
III.     Christ  a  true  refuge. 
I.  Apply  the  tests. 
Conclusion:  Appeal  to  throw  away  all  confidence  in 
refuges  of  lies,  and  flee  to  Christ  at  once. 

— R.  A.  T. 

A  SOLEMN  QUESTION 

"Where  art  thou?"— Gen.  3:9. 

God  puts  to  every  man  and  woman  a  very  solemn 
question. 

I.  A  QUESTION  ALL  OUGHT  TO  ANSWER. 

1.  We  should  want  to  know  how  we  stand  before 

God. 

2.  We  must  answer  the  question  some  day. 

II.  How   TO   CONSIDER  AND  ANSWER  IT. 

1.  Seriously. 

2.  Deliberately 

3.  Honestly. 

4.  Prayerfully. 

5.  Scripturally. 

III.  The  most  important  points  to  consider  in  re- 
gard TO  OUR  STANDING. 

1.  Are  you  saved  or  are  you  lost? 

2.  Are  you  a  child  of  God  or  a  child  of  the  devil? 

3.  Are  you  for  Christ  or  against  Him? 

4.  Are  you  an   earnest,  consecrated  Christian  or 

a  lukewarm  and  worldly  one? 


SUGGESTIVE   OUTLINES  295 

Conclusion: 

1.  Some  know  where  they  are — saved. 

2.  Others  cannot  answer  the  question  so. 

3.  Answer  the  question  definitely  and  at  once. 

R.    A.   T. 

WHAT   IT    COSTS  NOT   TO  BE  A  CHRISTIAN 

Introduction:  Show  the  folly  of  making  ventures  in 
all  phases  of  life  without  counting  the  cost. 

I.  It  costs  the  sacrifice  of  peace  of  conscience. 
(Isaiah  57:21.) 

II.  It  costs  the  sacrifice  of  the  sense  of  perfect 
security  which  the  christian  enjoys.    (Isaiah  26:3.) 

III.  It  costs  the  sacrifice  of  the  highest  joy  of 
which  the  human  soul  is  capable,      (i  Peter  i  :i8.) 

IV.  It  costs  the  sacrifice  of  the  hope  the  chris- 
tian has.     (Titus  1:2;  I  Peter  1:4;  Rom.  8:17.) 

V.  It  costs  the  sacrifice  of  the  highest  manhood 

AND  womanhood. 

VI.  It  costs  the  sacrifice  of  God's  favor.     (Heb. 
11:  6). 

VII.  It  costs  the  sacrifice  of  Christ's  acknowl- 
edgment.    (Matt.  10:32,  33.) 

VIII.  It  costs  the  sacrifice  of  eternal  life.   (John 
3:15,  16;  John  3:36.) 

— R.   A.  T. 

HOW   SHALL   WE   ESCAPE? 

*'How  shall  we  escape  if  we  neglect  so  great  salvation?"— 
Heb.  2 :  3. 

There  are  some  things  it  will  not  do  to  neglect — the 
folly  and  wickedness  of  neglecting  the  salvation  offered 
to  us  in  Christ  Jesus. 


296  SUGGESTIVE   OUTLINES 

I.  Because  of  the  greatness  of  that  salvation. 

1.  In  the  way  in  which  it  was  given. 

2.  In  what  it  cost. 

3.  In  what  it  accomplishes. 

4.  In  the  greatness  of  the  opportunity. 

II.  Because  it  is  the  only  salvation. 

III.  Because  we  incur  the  just  and  awful  dis- 
pleasure OF  God. 

1.  There    need     be    no    grave     offense     against 

morality. 

2.  No    conscious    or  unspoken  rebellion   against 

God. 

3.  No  speaking  against  the  salvation. 

4.  No  decided  refusal ;  simply  a  neglect. 

5.  All  one  needs  to  do  in  order  to  be  lost  is  to 

do  nothing. 

— R.  A.  T. 

"TO-DAY' 
"The  Holy  Ghost  saith  to-day.  "—Heb.  3:7. 

Men  say  *' to-morrow";  the  Holy  Ghost  saith 
**to-day. "  There  are  many  reasons  why  all  should 
accept  Jesus  *' to-day." 

I.  Because  Jesus  brings  peace  to  the  tormenting 

CONSCIENCE  AND  A  WISE  MAN  WILL  WISH  THAT  PEACE 
AS  SOON  AS  HE  CAN  GET  IT. 

II.  Because  Jesus  brings  joy  unspeakable  and  full 

OF  GLORY,  AND  A  WISE  MAN  WILL  WISH  THAT  GLORY  AS 
SOON  AS  HE  CAN  HAVE  IT. 

III.  Because  Jesus  brings  deliverance  from  sin,  and 

A    wise    MAN    WILL    WISH    FOR   THAT    DELIVERANCE    AS 
SOON  AS  HE  CAN  GET  IT. 


SUGGESTIVE   OUTLINES  297 

IV.  Because  Jesus  brings  beauty  of  character,  and 
A  wise  man  will  desire  that  beauty  of  character 
as  soon  as  he  can  have  it. 

V.  Because  Jesus  fills  our  lives  with  highest  use- 
fulness, AND  every  wise  MAN  WISHES  TO  BEGIN  BEING 
USEFUL  AS  SOON  AS  POSSIBLE. 

VI.  Because  the  sooner  we  come  to  Christ  the 

RICHER    WILL    BE    OUR    ETERNITY,    AND    A    WISE    MAN 
WISHES  TO  BEGIN  AT  ONCE. 

VII.  Because  if  we  do  not  come  to  Jesus  to-day  we 

MAY  never  come  AT  ALL,  AND  A  WISE  MAN  WILL  WANT 

to  come  at  once  before  it  is  too  late. 
Conclusion:  Many  things  that  may  make  this  the  last 
opportunity  and  a  refusal  now,  fatal. 

1.  Death  is  ever  lurking  at  our  doors. 

2.  Loss  of  opportunity  may  come. 

3.  A  hardened  heart  may  seal  your  doom. 

— R.  A.  T. 

DAVID'S  SIN 

*'The  thing  that  David  had  done  displeased  the  Lord." — 2 
Sam.  11:  27. 

Wherefore  hast  thou  despised  the  word  of  the  Lord  to  do  that 
which  is  evil  in  his  sight." — 2  Sam.  12:  9,  la 

The  Bible  is  faithful  to  recount  the  sins  as  well  as 
the  virtues  of  its  characters,  thus  teaching  us  good  les- 
sons, as  in  the  case  of  David's  sin. 
L     We  are  taught  that  a  very  good  man,  if  he  gets 

HIS   EYES   OFF   FROM    GOD  AND   HiS   WORD   MAY   EASILY 
fall  into  very  gross  SIN. 

II.  We  are  taught  that  God  never  looks  upon  any 
man's  sin  with  the  least  degree  OF  allowance. 


298  SUGGESTIVE   OUTLINES 

III.  We  are  taught  that  whatsoever  a  man  sow- 

ETH   HE  SHALL    ALSO    REAP;    AND,   LIKE    THE  FARMER,   HE 
WILL  REAP  MUCH   MORE  THAN  HE  SOWS. 

IV.  We  ARE  TAUGHT  THAT  THE  SINS  OF  GoD'S  SERVANTS 
GIVE  GREAT  OCCASION  FOR  ENEMIES  OF  THE  LORD  TO 
BLASPHEME, 

V.  We  ARE  TAUGHT  THAT  THE  SIN  OF  God's  PEOPLE  IS 
BASE    INGRATITUDE   TOWARD    GOD. 

VI.  We  ARE  TAUGHT  A  BRIGHTER  LESSON  FROM  THIS 
DARK  STORY — THAT  THERE  IS  FULL,  FREE  AND  ABUNDANT 
PARDON  FOR  THE  VILEST  SINNER. 

VII.  We  ARE  TAUGHT  THAT  God's  PARDON  IS  TO  BE 
FOUND  BY  THE  CONFESSION  OF  OUR  SIN. 

— R.  A.  T. 

WHAT   SHALL   WE    DO   WITH   JESUS? 

"What  shall  I  do  then  with  Jesus?" — Matt.  27:  22. 

The  most  important  question  one  can  put  to  himself. 

I.  How    MUCH    DEPENDS    ON    DOING    THE    RIGHT    THING 

WITH  Christ. 

1.  Our  acceptance  or  condemnation  before  God. 

John  3:  18. 

2.  Our  peace  of  conscience  depends  solely  on  this. 

Rom.  5:1. 

3.  Our  becoming  sons  of  God.     John  i:  i«. 

4.  True  joy.     i  Peter  i :  8. 

5.  Eternal  life.    John  5:  24;  3:36. 

II.  What  we  must  do  with  Him. 

1.  Accept  Kim  or  reject  Him.     John  12:  44-48. 

2.  Let  Him  in  or  shut  Him  out.     Rev.  3:  20. 

3.  Confess  Him  or  deny  Him.     Matt.  10:  32,  33. 

4.  Be  for  Him  or  against  Him.     Matt.  12:  30. 


SUGGESTIVE   OUTLINES  399 

III.    Think  who  He  was. 

1.  Your  divinely  anointed  King.     Acts  2 :  36 ;  5:31. 

2.  The  Son  of  God. 

3.  Your  Saviour.     Is.  53:5. 

Conclusion:  Sum  up  and  put  the  question :  What  will 
you  do  with  Jesus  right  now?  Illustrate  by  Pilate's 
awful  mistake  and  its  consequences. 

— R.   A.   T. 


WHAT   ARE  YOU   WAITING  FOR? 
•*And  now  why  tarriest  thou?"-— Acts  22: 16. 

There  is  no  reason  for  delay  for  which  the  Word  of 
Go '  has  not  an  answer. 

I.  **I     AM     WAITING    UNTIL    I    AM    CONVINCED."   (Johu  7  : 

17.) 

II.  "I  AM  WAITING  UNTIL  I  HAVE  ENJOYED  THE  WORLD 

ENOUGH.'*     (Mark  8:36.) 

III.  "I  AM  WAITING  FOR    MY  FRIENDS."       (Matt.    10:37.) 

IV.  "I  AM   WAITING  UNTIL  CHRISTIANS  ARE  MORE  CON- 
SISTENT."     (Rom.  14:12.) 

V.  "I   AM   WAITING   UNTIL  THERE   IS    NOT   SO    MUCH   TO 

GIVE  UP."     (Phil.  3:7,  8.) 

VI.  **I  AM  WAITING  FOR  FEELING."       (ActS  16:31:  Johu 

i;i2.) 

VII.  **I      AM      WAITING     UNTIL    I     AM     BETTER."    (Matt. 

9:13) 

VIII.  "I    AM    WAITING   UNTIL   I   AM    SURE    I    CAN    HOLD 

OUT."     (Jude  24.) 

IX.  *'I  AM  WAITING  FOR  GOD*S  TIME."       (2  Cor.   6\2.) 

X.  **I  AM  WAITING  UNTIL  I  DIE."       (PrOV.   29:1.) 

R.   A.   T, 


300  SUGGESTIVE  OUTLINES 

THE   PRICE   OF   POWER 

*'And  Stephen,  full  of  grace  and  power,  did  great  wonders  and 
signs  among  the  people." — Acts  6:  8,  R.  V. 

This  poor  world  needs  men  and  women  of  power, 
and  God  has  made  it  possible.  We  can  become  such  by 
paying  the  price  of  power. 

I.  Power  costs  the  putting  away  of  all  sin. 

II.  We  must  set  right  the  things  we  have  done. 

III.  There  must  be  absolute  surrender  to  God. 

IV.  It   costs   a   large   expenditure   of   time   and 
strength  and  time  in  prayer. 

V.  It  requires  a  large  expenditure  of  time  in  Bible 

STUDY. 

VI.  There  must  be  the  entire  renunciation    of 

SELF-INTEREST  AND  SELF-SPARING  IN  ALL  THEIR  FORMS. 

VII.  There  must  be  humiliation  of  self. 

R.    A.   T. 

THE   DRAMA  OF   LIFE   IN  THREE   ACTS 

(Luke  15:  11-33.) 

I.  The  first  act — the  wandering,  going  away  from 
FROM  home  ;  or,  the  nature  of  sin. 

Scene  i.      The  young  man  in  his  beautiful  and 

sumptuous   home.      The   beginning   of    sin,    a 

desire  to  be  independent  of  God. 
Scene  2.      The   young  man   with   his  portion   of 

goods  goes  from  home.      The  growth  of  sin. 

His  heart  went  first,  his  feet  afterwards. 

II.  The  second  act — the  desolation  in  a  far  coun- 
try ;  or,  "mEFRuiTS  of  sin. 

Scene  i.     Is  one^f  gaiety.     The  first  fruit  of  sin 
is  pleasure. 


SUGGESTIVE   OUTLINES  301 

Scene  2.     Is  one  of  hard  times.     The  second  fruit 

of  sin  is  want. 
Scene  3.      Is  one   of  utter  wretchedness.      The 

third    fruit  of    sin   is   degradation   and   abject 

slavery. 
III.     The  third  act — the  wanderer's  return  home 

AGAIN  ;  OR,  the  REMEDY  FOR  SIN. 

Scene  i.  His  thoughts  are  turned  homeward  and 
fatherward.  Serious  reflection  the  first  ingre- 
dient in  the  remedy  for  sin  and  its  bitter  conse- 
quences. 

Scene  2.  His  threefold  resolution,  (a)  To  go  to 
his  father;  (d)  to  confess  his  sin;  (c)  to  seek 
acceptance. 

Scene  3.  His  welcome  home.  *'He  arose  and 
came  to  his  father. "  The  father  is  watching  for 
him,  and  seeing  him  coming  runs  to  meet  him, 
and  welcomes  him  with  the  best  his  heart  and 
hand  have  to  give.  — r.  a.  t. 


INFIDELITY-    ITS   CAUSES,    CONSEQUENCES 
AND   CURE 

I.     Its  causes. 

1.  The    misrepresentation  of    Christianity  by  its 

professed  disciples,     (a)  in  doctrine;    (6)  in 
life. 

2.  Ignorance    of    what   the    Bible    contains    and 

teaches. 

3.  Conceit.      Men  become  infidels    because  they 

find  things  in  the  Bible  they  cannot  under- 
stand. 


302  SUGGESTIVE   OUTLINES 

4.  Sin.     This  is  the  commonest  and  most  funda* 

mental  cause  of  infidelity. 

5.  Resistance  to  the  Holy  Spirit. 
IT.     Its  consequences. 

1.  Sin.     Infidelity  breeds  sin. 

2.  Anarchy.     Anarchists  are  almost,  if  not  always, 

infidels. 

3.  Wretchedness  and  despair. 

4.  Suicide. 

5.  Hopeless  graves. 

6.  Eternal  ruin. 
III.     Its  cure. 

1.  Christlike  living  on  the  part  of  professed  Chris- 

tians. 

2.  A  surrendered  will  on  the  part  of  the  infidel. 

John  7:17. 

3.  Study  of  the  Word  of  God.     Ps.  119:  130. 

— R.  A.   T. 

ETERNAL    LIFE,    OR  THE    WRATH   OF  GOD 
—WHICH? 

"He  that  believeth  on  the  Son  hath  everlasting  life,  and  he 
that  believeth  not  the  Son  shall  not  see  life,  but  the  wrath  of  God 
abideth  upon  him." — John  3:  36. 

The  great  question  that  confronts  each  of  us: 
Eternal  life  or  the  wrath  of  God.  Which  shall  it  be? 
I.    The  things  contrasted. 

I.  *' Eternal  life."     What  is  it? 

(a)  It  is  really  life. 

(b)  It  is  fullness  of  life. 

(c)  It  is  life  of  highest  knowledge, 

(d)  It  is  the  life  of  God. 
{e)  It  is  endless  life. 


SUGGESTIVE   OUTLINES  303 

«.  ''The  wrath  of  God. "     What  is  it? 

(a)  It  is  the  intense  and  settled  displeasure  of 
the  infinitely  holy  Being  who  created  us,  and 
all  things,  and  who  has  the  absolute  control 
of  all  the  powers  of  this  universe. 

II.      How  TO  DECIDE  BETWEEN  THEM- 

I.  God  answers  the  question. 
(a)  Believe  on  the  Son  of  God. 
(d)  Accept   God's  testimony  concerning  Jesus 
Christ.  — R,  A.  T. 


"The  Lord  is  nigh  unto  them  that  are  of  a  broken  heart,  and 
saveth  such  as  be  of  a  contrite  spirit." — Ps.  34:  18. 

The  Lord  knoweth  the  proud  afar  off.   Ps.  138:  6. 

But  he  dwells  with  him  that  is  of  a  contrite  spirit. 
Is.  57:  15. 

When  the  sinner  feels  his  distance  from  God,  then  it 
is  that  he  is  drawing  nigh  to  God. 

He  has  a  broken  heart,  and  God  draws  nigh  to  him. 
Luke  15:  18,  20. 

I.  In  a  broken  heart  there  is, 

1.  A  sense  of  sin.     Ps.  38:  4;  Luke  18:  13. 

2.  Self-abhorrence  on  account  of  sin.     Job  42:6; 

Ezek.  16:  6^. 

3.  Justifying  God's  dealings.     Ps.  51:  4. 

4.  A  view  of  the  love  of  a  dying  Saviour.     Zech. 

12 :  10. 

5.  A  confidence  in  returning  to  God.     Hos.  6:1; 

Luke  15:  18. 

II.  The  Lord  is  nigh,  and  saveth  them. 

I.  He  accepteth  such  a  heart  as  His  sacrifice.     Ps. 
51:17:  Is.  66:  2. 


304  SUGGESTIVE   OUTLINES 

3.   He  maketh  such  a  heart  His  abode.     Is.  57 :  15. 

3.  He  speaketh  peace  to  such  a  heart.     Is.  57:  18; 

Luke  7:  50. 

4.  He  healeth  such  a  heart.     Ps.  147:  3;  Is.  61:  i. 
Let  us  search  into  the  cause  of  hardness  of  heart. 
Guard  against  the  continuance  of  a  careless  spirit. 
Direct  the  eye  of  faith  constantly  to  the  cross  of 

Jesus. 

Be  faithful  to  the  first  convictions  of  the  Spirit. 

Cease  not  to  pray,  till  such  a  frame  of  mind  be 
obtained. 

Look  forward  to  the  time  when  we  shall  no  longer 
complain  of  hard  hearts — 

And  when  broken  hearts  shall  be  healed  forever. 
Rev.  7:  17;  21:  4.  — c.  B. 


"Come  unto  me,  all  ye  that  labor  and  are  heavy  laden,  and  I 
will  give  you  rest." — Matt.  11:  28. 

I.  What  is  rest? 

1.  That  which  every  human  creature  is  seeking. 

Ps.  4:6. 

2.  That  which  the  world  offers.     Prov.  9:  16,  17. 

3.  But  can  never  give.     Eccles.  i :  13,  14;  2 :  22,  23, 

II.  Where  is  it  to  be  obtained? 

1.  Not  in  sin.     Is.  57:  10,  20;  Jer.  2:36. 

2.  Not  in  riches.     Ps.  39:6;  Eccles.  5:10,  12. 

3.  Not  in  idleness.     Prov.  15;  19. 

4.  Not  in  pleasure.     Eccles.  2:1. 

5.  Not  in  fame.     Eccles.  2:16. 

6.  Not  in  knowledge.     Eccles.  1:18. 

7.  Not  in  self -righteousness.     Heb.  4:3,  lo. 

8.  But  only  in  Christ.     Heb.  4:  3. 


SUGGESTIVE   OUTLINES  305 

{a)  In  His  atonement.     Rom.  5:10. 
(d)  In  His  righteousness.     Ps.  32:  i,  2. 

(c)  In  His  intercession.     Rom.  8 :  34. 

(d)  In  His  glory.     Heb.  4:9;  Rev.  7:  16,  17. 
Therefore,  come  to  Him: 

At  all  events  and  hazards.     Matt.  15:  22. 

Guilty.     Luke  7:  37,  etc. 

Naked.     Rev.  3:  18. 

Lost.     Matt.  8:  25. 

Ignorant.     Luke  10:  39. 

Tempted.     2  Cor.  12:  7,  8. 

Backsliding.     Jer.  3:22. 

Abide  in  Him.     John  15:  9. 

Follow  Him.     Matt.  11:29.  — c.  b. 


"And  ye  shall  seek  me  and  find  me,  when  ye  shall  search  for 
me  with  all  your  heart." — Jer.  29:  13. 

I.     What  is  the  disposition  of  mind  here  intended? 

1.  It  is  not  lip-service.     Jer.  3:10;  Ezek.   33:31; 

Matt.  15:8. 
(a)  Indolence.     Cant.  3:1. 
{b)  Impatience.     2  Kings  6 :  33. 

2.  But  it  is  a  heart  perfect  with  God.     2  Chron. 

16:  9;  15:  17. 
(a)   Steadily  fixed  on  God's.      Ps.    108:1;    Is. 
26:8,  9. 

3.  It  is  the  earnestness  of  Jacob.     Gen.  32:24-28. 
(a)  The  confidence  of  David.     Ps.  27:  7-14. 

{b)  The  perseverance  of  the  woman  of  Canaan. 

Matt.  15:  22. 
(c)  The    importunity    of    the    widow.        Luke 
18:3-5.     (See  Is.  62:6,  7.) 


3o6  SUGGESTIVE   OUTLINES 

II.    What  is  the  blessing  promised? 

1.  Ye  shall  fin  dme.     2  Chron.    15:2,  4,  15;   la. 

45:19;  Matt  7:7,  8. 

(a)  In  time  of   contrition.     Deut.  4:29:   Jer. 
3:  22;  Hos.  14:  2,  4. 

(b)  In  time  of  affliction.     Ps.  50:  15. 

{c)  In  time  of  perplexity.     2  Chron.  20:  12. 
(a)  In  ever}^  time.     Heb.  4:  16. 

2.  Let  every  sin  be  mortified.     Ps.  66:  18. 

3.  Let  the  heart  be  prepared.     2  Chron.  19:3. 

4.  Let   the   assistance   of  the   Spirit   be   sought. 

Rom.  8:  26;  Eph.  6:  18;  Jude  20. 

— c.  B. 


"And  they  77ent  out,  and  preached  that  men  should  repent" — 
Mark  6:  12. 

Repentance  is  a  distinguishing  grace  of  the  man  of 
God. 

He  cannot  know  himself  to  be  a  sinner  without  deep 
shame  and  humiliation  of  soul. 

What  have  I  done?     What  have  I  neglected  to  do? 

The  first  sign  of  spiritual  life  is  an  awakened  sense 
of  sin. 

Therefore    the   ministers   of    Christ   *'  go   out   and 
preach  that  men  should  repent*' 
I.     Mark  the  necessity  of  repentance. 

1.  As  saving  from  deserved  punishment.     Ezek. 

18:  28,  30;  Luke  13:  3-5;  Rev.  2:  5;  3:  3. 

2.  As  justifying  God  in   the  punishment  of  sin. 

Jos.  7:  19;  Ps.  51:  4. 

3.  As  a  means  of  forgiveness.     Job  33:  27,  28; 

Luke  24:  47;  Acts  2:  38;  3:  19;  5:  31^ 


SUGGESTIVE   OUTLINES  307 

II.  Mark  its  character. 
It  has  many  counterfeits. 

I.  Natural  repentance  produces 

(a)  Alarm.     Matt.  27:  3.5;  Acts  24:  25. 
{d)  Conviction,  20. 

(c)  Confession,     i  Sam.  25:  24,  30;  Matt.  3:  i,  6. 

(d)  Resolutions.     Ex.  9:  27,  28;  10:  16,  17. 

(e)  Partial  amendment.     2  Kings  21 :  27-29. 

a.  Spiritual  repentance   has   all  these,  but  it  has 

more. 
(a)  It  is  connected  with  faith.     Acts  20:  21. 
3.  It  includes  a  hearty  sorrow  for  sin.      2  Cor. 

7:  10. 

(a)  An  entire  forsaking  of  all  sin.     2   Chron. 
33:12,  15,  16;  Ezek.  18:28. 

(b)  An  instant  return  to  God.     Hos.  5:15;  6:1: 
Luke  15:  t8-2o. 

{c)  An  evidence  in  godly  fruits.      Matt.    ^:8; 
Acts  26:  20;  2  Cor.  7:11. 

III.  Its  origin  is  of  God. 

1.  The  gift  of  Almighty  God.     Ezek.  36:26;  Acts 

11:  18;  2  Tim.  2:  25. 

2.  The  blessing  of  an  exalted  Saviour.    Acts  5:  31. 

3.  The  work  of  the  Holy  Spirit.     Zech.  12:  10. 
Produced—- 

By  a  sight  of  our  own  guilt  and  need.   Ps.  51:4; 

Jer.  31:  18,  19;  Luke  15:  16,  17. 
By  a  sight  of  the  love  and  sufferings  of  Christ. 
Zech.  12:  10;  Acts  2:  ^6^  37. 
Deepened— 

By  a  view  of  the  character  of  God.     Job  42:5,6. 
By  an  assurance  of  pardon.     Ezek.  16:  63. 

— c.  B. 


3o8  SUGGESTIVE   OUTLINES 

"If  thou  canst   believe,  all  things   are  possible  to  him  that 
believeth." — Mark  9:  23. 

The  very  nature  of  faith  supposes  difficulty. 

I.  It  is  opposed  to  sight.     John  20:29;  2  Cor.  5:7; 

Heb.  II :  27. 
3.  It  rises  above  sense  and  feeling.     Job  13:  15. 

3.  It  puts  reason  to  silence.     Luke  i :  34-38 ;  John 

6:  12-16. 

4.  It  implies  a  consciousness  of  weakness.     V.  24 ; 

Matt.  15:  25. 

5.  And  a  dependence  upon    Almighty   strength. 

2  Chron.  14:  11;  20:  12;  Ps.  40:  17;  2  Cor.  3:  5. 
Let  us  mark  some  of  the  achievements  of  this  won- 
derful principle.     ''''All  things  are  possible  to  it.** 

1.  It  overcomes  all  the  temptations  of  time  and 

sense.     Heb.     11:8-10,     24-26;     i    John    5: 

4,  5. 

2.  It  stands  firm  in  the  promise,  notwithstanding 

all   natural    impossibilities.      Rom.   4:17-21; 
Heb.  II :  11. 

3.  It  is  unshaken  by  all  seeming  contradiction. 

Heb.  11:  17-19. 

4.  It  obediently  ventures  upon  present  difficulty. 

Exod.  14:2,  15;  Heb.  11:29. 

5.  It  performs  the  greatest  work  by  the  weakest 

means.     Judges  7:16-22;    Is.   41:14,    15;    i 
Cor.  1:21;  Heb.  11:30. 

6.  It  overcomes  even  the  prescript  of  the  Divine 

will.      Deut.    23:3,   with  Ruth   i,  16;    4:10. 
Matt.  15;  24-28,  with  10:  5,  6. 

7.  It  triumphs  over  the  forebodings  of  the  most 

frowning  providences,     i  Sam.   30:6;    Hab. 
3:  17,  18. 


SUGGESTIVE   OUTLINES  309 

8.  It  maintains  an  assured  confidence  under  con- 

flict and  chastening.     Ps.  65:3;  Mic.  7:8,  9. 

9.  It  prevents   hard  thoughts  of  God  under  the 

most  afflicting  dispensations.     2  Kings  4:26; 
Job  i:  21. 
10.   It  obtains  the  supply  of  grace  to  the  utmost  of 
our  desire.     Ps.  81:  10;  Matt.  21:  22. 
Be  sure  that  faith  is  grounded  upon  the  clear  war- 
rant of  Scripture,      i  John  5:14. 

Act  present  faith  as  the  way  to  encourage  its  fruit- 
fulness.     Matt.  25:29;  2  Pet.  1:5. 

Face  the  most  appalling  difficulties  in  the  resources 
of  faith.     Zech.  4:  7;  Mark  11:  22,  23;  Phil.  4:  13. 

Connect  the  exercise  of  faith  with  every  Christian 
duty.     Luke  17:  $-6. 

Let  the  habitual  exercise  of  faith  prepare  you  for 
every  emergency.     Gal.  2 :  20.  — c.  b. 


THE  WATER  OF  LIFE 

I.  Its  character. 

1.  Living.     Jno.  4:  10. 

2.  Clear.     Rev.  22 :  i. 

3.  Pure.     Rev.  22:  i. 

4.  Abundant     Ezek.  47 :  1-9. 

5.  Free,     Rev.  21  :  6. 

II.  For  whom   provided. 

1.  The  thirsty.    Rev.  21 :  6. 

2.  Whosoever.    Rev.  22  :  17. 

III.  Way  to  obtain  it. 

1.  Come.     Rev.  22: 17. 

2.  Take.     Rev.  22:  17- 


3IO  SUGGESTIVE  OUTLINES 

REPENTANCE. 

The  nature  of.     Matt.  21:9. 

The  source  of.     2  Tim.  2 :  25. 

The  necessity  for.     Acts.  8 :  22. 

The  results  of.     Luke  15:7;  Luke  17:3. 

By  whom  commanded.     Acts  17:30. 

In  whose  name?     Luke  24:47.  — c.  i. 


FORGIVENESS 

The  foundation  of  it — His  blood.     Eph.  1 17. 

The  author  of  it — God.     Eph.  4:32. 

The  completeness  of  it  all.    Ps.  103 :  3. 

The  proclamation  of  it  is  preached.     Acts  13 :  38. 

The  reception  of  it — all  that  believe.     Acts  13:  39. 

The  certainty  of  it — are  forgiven,     i  Jno.  2:  la. 

The  results  of  it — saved.     Luke  7:50. 

The  results  of  it — peace.     Luke  7:50. 

The  results  of  it — blessed,     Ps,  32;  i.  — c.  i. 


A  SEVENFOLD  VIEW  OF  THE   LOVE   OF  GOD 

It  is  infinite  in  its  character.     Jno.  17 :  23. 
It  is  constraining  in  its  power.     2  Cor.  5:  14. 
It  is  inseparable  in  its  object.    Rom.  8 :  35-37. 
It  is  individual  in  its  choice.    Gal.  2 :  20. 
It  is  universal  in  its  extenTs    Jno.  3:16. 
It  is  unchanging  in  its  purpose.     Jno.  13:1. 
It  is  everlasting  in  its  duration.    Jer.  31:3. 

--C.  I. 


SUGGESTIVE  OUTLINES  311 

TEN  STEPS  IN  THE  PRODIGAL'S  LIFE 

His  demand. — "Give,  .portion."     Luke  15 :  12. 
His  departure. — "Took.  .Journey."     Luke  15:13. 
His  Distress. — "Famine."     Luke  15:  14. 
His  condition. — "In  want."     Luke  15:  14. 
His  depravity. — "Feeding  swine."     Luke  15:15. 
His  conviction. — "Came  to  himself."     Luke  15  :  17. 
His  determination. — "I  will  arise."     Luke  15: 18. 
His  confession. — "I  have  sinned."     Luke  15  :  18. 
His  contrition. — "No  more  worthy."     Luke  15 :  19. 
His  conversion. — "The  best  robe,  etc."    Luke  15 :  22. 


JUSTIFICATION 

What  is  it?    Rom.  4:5-8. 

The  One  who  justifies.     Rom.  8 :  33. 

Whom  He  justifies.     Rom.  4 :  5. 

How  He  is  justified.     Rom.  3 :  24  and  v.  9. 

From  what  He  is  justified.     Acts  13 :  39. 

Result  of  being  justified.     Rom.  5;  i. 


REDEMPTION^ 

I.  What  i  am  redeemed  with — 

1.  By  blood.     I  Pet.  i :  19. 

2.  By  power.     Neh.  1:10. 

II.  What  i  am  redeemed  from — 

1.  Bondage.     Ex.  6:  6. 

2.  Enemy.     Ps.  106 :  10. 

3.  Iniquity.     Titus  2 :  14. 

4.  Curse  of  the  law.     Gal.  3 :  13. 

III.  What  the  Lord  has  redeemed — 


3ia  SUGGESTIVE   OUTLINES 

1.  The  soul.    Ps.  49 : 8. 

2.  The  body.     Rom.  8  :  23. 

3.  The  life.     Ps.  103  : 4. 

IV.     The  beauty  of  the  redemption — 

1.  It  is  plenteous.     Ps.  130:7. 

2.  It  is  precious.     Ps.  49 :  8. 

3.  It  is  eternal.     Heb.  9:  12.  — c.  i 

MERCY 

The  author,     i  Pet.  i :  3. 

The  ground.     Rom.  3 :  25. 

The  SUBJECTS.     Luke  17:13. 

The  character.     Ps.  103  : 4. 

The  measure.     Ps.  103 :  8. 

The  EXTENT.     Ps.  103:11. 

The  DURATION.    Ps.  103 :  17.  — c.  i 

SIN 

The  servants.     Rom.  6 :  20. 

The  wages.     Rom.  6 :  23. 

The  deceitfulness.     Heb.  3  :  13. 

The  PLEASURES.     Heb.  11:25. 

The  sacrifice.     Heb.  10:  12. 

The  eternal  consequences.     Jude  7.  —  c.  l 

JESUS,    THE   FRIEND 

I    The  sinner's  friend.     Matt.  11:  19. 

2.  My  friend.     Cant.  5:  16. 

3.  Who  satisfies.     Cant.  5:1. 

4.  Who  sticketh  closer  than  a  brother.     Pro  v.  18 :  24. 

5.  The  unchanging  friend.     Prov.  17:17- 


SUGGESTIVE   OUTLINES  313 

6.  The  surety.     Prov.  6:1, 

7.  Who  dies.     John  15:  13. 

8.  Who  reproves.     Prov.  27:6. 

9.  Who  counsels.     Prov.  27:9,  10 

10.  Communion.     Prov.  27:  17. 

11.  Resurrection.     John  11:  11. 

My  Beloved  is  my  friend.  Christians  need  an  object 
for  their  heart.  Joy  clings  (17  Matt).  Jesus  only. 
His  photograph:  altogether  lovely.  My  beloved. 
No  fear.     Welcome.     Paul.     Loved  me.     My  friend. 

— H.  M. 


RULES   FOR   EVANGELISTS 

(Being  those  given  by  Paul  to  Timothy.) 

1.  **Stir  Up  the  gift  that  is  in  thee."     2  Tim.  i :  6. 

2.  *'Be  not  thou  ashamed  of  the  testimony  of  our 
Lord."     1:8. 

3.  '*Hold  fast  the  form  of  sound  words,  which  thou 
hast  heard  of  me,  in  faith  and  love  which  is  in  Christ 
Jesus"  (i:  13);  and  again,  in  v.  14:  "That  good  thing 
which  was  committed  unto  thee,  keep  by  the  Holy 
Ghost  which  dwelleth  in  thee." 

4.  You  want  strength;  then,  **Be  strong  in  the  grace 
that  is  in  Christ  Jesus.  **     2 :  i. 

5.  "Endure  hardness  as  a  good  soldier  of  Jesus 
Christ."     2:3. 

6.  Remember  that  Jesus  Christ,  of  the  seed  of  David, 
was  raised  from  the  dead  (2:8).  Evangelists,  that  is 
the  doctrine  for  you.  Christ  raised  from  the  dead  is 
God's  receipt  in  full  for  the  sinner's  justification. 

7.  **  Study  to  show  thyself  approved  unto  God^  a  work- 


314  SUGGESTIVE   OUTLINES 

man  that  needeth  not  to  be  ashamed,  rightly  dividing 
the  Word  of  Truth. "     2:15. 

8.  "Flee  also  youthful  lusts:  but  follow  righteons- 
ness,  faith,  charity,  peace,  with  them  that  call  on  the 
Lord  out  of  a  pure  heart. "     2:22. 

9.  "Foolish  and  unlearned  questions  avoid,  knowing 
that  they  do  gender  strife. "     2 :  23. 

10.  '"Continue  thou  in  the  things  which  thou  hast 
learned."  3:  14.  Not  only  preach  to  others,  but  live 
out  the  truth  you  preach. 

11.  "All  Scripture  is  given  by  inspiration  of  God** 
(3:  16).  Be  persuaded  of  the  inspiration  of  the  Scrip- 
ture.    Use  it,  for  it  is  the  sword  of  the  Spirit. 

12.  "I  charge  thee,  therefore,  before  God  and  the 
Lord  Jesus  Christ.  .  .  .  Preach  the  Word,  be  instant  in 
season,  out  of  season."     4:1,  2. 

13.  "Do  the  work  of  an  evangelist"  (4:5).  Do  the 
work,  don't  merely  talk  about  it,  or  be  satisfied  with 
the  title  of  an  evangelist.  DO  the  WORK— it  is 
tough  work,  hard  work,  but  blessed  work. 

— M.  R. 

CONVERSION 

"Let  the  wicked  forsake  his  way,  and  the  unrighteous  man  his 
thoughts,  and  let  him  return  unto  the  Lord  and  he  will  have 
mercy  upon  him,  and  to  our  God  for  he  will  abundantly  pardon.'* 
—Is.  55.  7. 

To  be  converted  means  to  be  turned  about  or  to  be 
turned  to  God.     Man  has  turned  his  back  upon  God, 
but,  when  converted,  he  faces  a  loving  and  forgiving 
God. 
I.    The  first  step  toward  conversion  is  an  earnest 

DESIRE  AND   INTENTION   TO   FORSAKE  SIN. 


SUGGESTIVE   OUTLINES  315 

II.  The  second  step  toward  conversion  is  a  will- 
ingness TO  ACCEPT  God's  salvation,  whatever  it 

MAY  REQUIRE. 

III.  The  third  step  toward  conversion  is  making 

UP  YOUR  mind  to  believe  WHAT   GoD  WANTS  YOU  TO 
KNOW  IN  ORDER  TO  BE  SAVED. 

1.  That  the  race  is  totally  depraved. 

2.  That  the  death  of  the  Son  of  God  was  vicari- 
ous. 

3.  That  the  Word  of  God  gives  assurance  of  your 

salvation.  — f.  s. 

HE   STILL    WAITS 
•'And  therefore  will  the  Lord  wait." — Is.  30:  18. 

Now  that  God  has  done  all  He  can  do  for  our  sal- 
vation, He  has  to  stop  and  wait  for  us. 

I.      The  FIRST  CLASS  OF  PEOPLE  THAT  THE  LoRD  HAS  TO 
WAIT  FOR  IS  THE  CHRISTIAN. 

I.  There  are  three  reasons  why  Christians  ought 
to  be  willing  to  respond  to  God  in  efforts  to 
save  the  lost: 

(a)  Is  the  honor  conferred  upon  us  in  working 
fpr  God. 

(d)  Is  the  great  privilege  we  have  to  at  once 
work  for  God. 

(c)  Is  the  great  reward  that  comes  to  the  faith- 
ful in  God's  service. 
n.    Another  class  that  God  has  to  work  for  is  the 

BACKSLIDER. 

III.     Still  others  God  is  waiting  for  are  those  who 

THUS  far  have  REJECTED  God's  GRACE. 

— F.  S. 


3i6  SUGGESTIVE   OUTLINES 

A   GREAT   CONDITIONAL   PROMISE 

*'Said  I  not  unto  thee,  that  if  thou  wouldest  believe,  thou 
shouldest  see  the  glory  of  God?" — John  ii:  40. 

Something  to  be  done  in  order  to  enjoy  the  accom- 
plishment of  the  divine  promise.  Look  at  some  of  the 
stones  to  be  rolled  away : 

I.  Is    THE  AWFUL   STONE   OF   UNBELIEF. 

II.  Is   THE  MISERABLE  STONE  OF   PREJUDICE. 

III.  We  need  to  get  rid  of  criticism. 

IV.  Another  one  to  remove  is  the  stone  of  excuse. 

V.  Again  is  the  want  of  ability  to  do  anything. 

1.  We  must  believe  that  until  we  do  our  part 

God  will  not,  or,   I  may  say,  cannot  do  His 
part. 

2.  We  must  also  believe  that  when  we  do  our  part 

there  is  nothing  impossible  with  God. 

— r.  s. 


CHRIST   OUR   EXAMPLE 

"If  we  say  that  we  have  fellowship  with  him,  and  walk  in  dark- 
ness, we  lie  and  do  not  the  truth." — i  John  i :  6. 

The  moment  we  accept  the   Son   of  God   as  our 
Saviour,  we  must  take  Him  as  our  example. 

I.  In  His  devotion  to  His  father. 

II.  In  His  submission  to  God. 
HI.     In  His  compassion. 

IV.  In  His  humility. 

V.  In  His  patience. 

VI.  In  His  love  for  communion  with  the  Father. 

— F.  s. 


SUGGESTIVE    OUTLINES  317 

CHRIST   OUR   MIGHTY   ONE 

•'Wherefore  he  is  able  to  save  them  to  the  uttermost  that  come 
unto  God  by  him,  seeing  he  ever  liveth  to  make  intercession  for 
them." — Heb.  7:  25. 

Look  at  some  of  the  things  He  is  able  to  do  for  us. 

I.  He  is  able  to  keep  us  from  falling. 

II.  He  is  able  to  subdue  all  things  unto  Himself. 

III.  He  is  able  to  deliver  us  when  tempted. 

IV.  He  is  able  to  prepare  us  for  every  good  work. 

F.    S. 

CHRIST   OUR   FRIEND 

"The  Son  of  man  came  eating  and  drinking,  and  they  say, 
Behold  a  man  gluttonous,  and  a  winebibber,  a  friend  of  publicans 
and  sinners." — Matt.  11:  19. 

I.  He  is  the  friend  of  sinners. 

II.  He  is  the  friend  that  sticketh  closer  than  a 
brother. 

HI.     He  is  the  friend  that  loveth  at  all  times. 

IV.  He  is  the  faithful  friend. 

V.  He  is  the  friend  that  gives  us  hearty  counsel. 

VI.  He  is  the  friend  that  makes  us  like  himself. 

F.   S. 

SAVING   THE   LOST 

"The  Son  of  man  is  come  to  seek  and  to  save  that  which  is 
lost." — Luke  19:  10. 

A  soul  saved  or  lost — which? 
I.     Lost. 

I.   Every  soul  out  of  Christ  is  lost. 

(a)  In  that  they  are  all  sinners.     Rom.  3 :  22,  23. 
(d)  In  that  they  are  all  the  slaves  of  sin.     John 
8:34. 


3i8  SUGGESTIVE   OUTLINES 

(c)  In  that  if  they  do  not  turn  to  Christ  they 
will  be  lost  eternally.     John  3 :  36. 
II.     Saved. 

1.  Christ  is  seeking  to  save. 
(a)  By  His  providence. 
{d)  By  His  Spirit. 

(c)  By  His  Word. 

2.  He  can  save. 

(a)  From  the  gfuilt  of  sin.     Acts  10:  43. 

(b)  From  the  power  of  sin.     John  8 :  36. 

(c)  From  hell,      i  Thess.  i :  10. 

(d)  To  the  uttermost.     Heb.  7 :  25. 

3.  He  came  to  seek  the  utterly  lost, 

4.  He  is  seeking  to  save  now.  — R.  a.  t. 


GOD-GIVEN   CONVICTION 
"They  were  pricked  in  their  heart."— Acts  11:  37. 

To  be  pricked  in  the  heart  with  the  conviction  of  sin 
is  not  a  pleasant  experience,  but  if  rightly  received 
leads  to  very  great  blessing. 

I.  Why  these  men  were  pricked  in  their  hearts. 

I.  They  saw  the  appalling  enormity  of  the  sin  of 
rejecting  Christ.     V.  36. 

II.  How  they  were  pricked  in  their  hearts. 

I.  It  was  by  the  preaching  of  the  Word  of  God. 
a.  It  was  by  Peter's   testimony  to   a  risen   and 

exalted  Saviour. 
3.  It  was  by  the  power  of  the  Holy  Spirit. 

III.  The  results  of  their  being  pricked  in  theib 
hearts. 

I.  They  turned  from  their  awful  sin.     V.  38. 


SUGGESTIVE   OUTLINES  319 

2.  They  publicly  confessed    their   sin   and  their 

acceptance  of  Christ.     V.  41. 

3.  They  were  saved.     V.  47. 

4.  They  found  a  deep  and  lasting  joy.     V.  46. 

5.  They  received  the  Holy  Spirit.     V.  38,  39. 

— R.   A.   T. 


SAVED 

"For  by  grace  are  ye  saved  through  faith." — Eph.  2:  8. 

One  of  the  greatest  words  in  the  English  language 
is  the  word  *' saved. "     Expand  and  illustrate. 

I.  Who  are  saved? 

I.  Every  one  who  believes  in  Jesus  Christ. 

II.  From  what  are  we  saved? 

1.  From  all  guilt. 

2.  From  God's  displeasure. 

3.  From  the  condemnation  of  our  own  conscience. 

4.  From  the  power  of  sin. 

5.  From  future  judgment. 

III.  To   WHAT   ARE  WE  SAVED? 

1.  We  are  saved  to  peace  and  joy. 

2.  We  are  saved  to  a  true  and  pure  and  holy  and 

useful  life. 

3.  We  are  saved  to  God's  favor  and  delight. 

4.  We  are  saved  to  sonship. 

5.  We  are  saved  to  eternal  life. 

6.  We  are  saved  to  an  inheritance  incorruptible, 

etc. 

IV.  How  WE  ARE  SAVED. 

1.  We  are  saved  by  grace.     Salvation  is  a  gift. 

2.  We  are  saved  by  grace  through  faith. 

— R.  A.  T. 


320  SUGGESTIVE    OUTLINES 

HOW   TO    BECOME    SONS   OF    GOD 

**But  as  many  as  received  him,  to  them  gave  he  power  to 
become  the  sons  of  God,  even  to  them  that  believe  on  his  name." 
— John  i:  12. 

To  be  a  child  of  God  involves  so  much — so  much  in 
the  life  that  now  is,  so  much  in  the  life  which  is  to 
come. 

I.  What  is  involved? 

1.  Our  absolute  security  in  this  present  life, 

2.  The  supply  of  every  real  need. 

3.  Joy. 

4.  Peace. 

5.  Likeness  to  God. 

6.  Infinite  glory  hereafter. 

II.  How   MAY  WE  BECOME  SONS  OF  GOD  ? 

1.  We  are  all  God's  offspring,  but  we  are  not  all 

sons  of  God.     Acts  17:  28;  John  8:  44. 

2.  We  are  made  sons  of  God  by  receiving  Jesus. 

John  1 :  12;  Gal.  3:26. 

3.  To  receive  Jesus  is  to  receive  Him  as  He  offers 

Himself  to  us. 

(a)  As  our  atoning  Saviour.     Matt.  20:  28. 

(b)  As  our  Deliverer  from  sin's  power.     John 
8:36. 

{c)  As  our  Rest-giver.     Matt.  11:  28. 
{d)  As  our  Teacher.     John  13:  13. 
(e)  As  our  Way  of  Access  to  God.     John  14:  6. 
(/)  As  our  King. 

(g)  As  our  Lord  and  God.     John  20:  28;   John 
5:  22. 
III.    Who  may  become  sons  of  God  in  this  way? 

I.  Anyone.     How  sweeping  it  is!     "As  many  as." 


SUGGESTIVE   OUTLINES  3^ 

2.  The  loveliest  character  or  the  vilest  sinner. 

3.  It  is  possible  to  anyone  at  this  moment. 

•♦BeUeve  on  the  Lord  Jesus  Christ  and  thou  shalt  be  saved."— 
Acts  16:  31. 

Introduction:  This  text  makes  the  way  of  salvation 
as  clear  as  day. 

I.  There  can  be  no  doubt  that  this  is  the  true 

WAY  TO  BE  SAVED  AND  A  SURE  WAY  TO  BE  SAVED. 

1.  An  inspired  apostle  whom  God  sent  for  this 

very  purpose  declares  it. 

2.  Positiveness:  *' Thou  shalt  be  saved." 

II.  What  is  involved  in  believing  on  the  Lord 
Jesus  ? 

1.  Trust  in  Jesus  for  pardon  for  all  my  sin. 

2.  Surrender  to  the  Lord  Jesus  as  Lord  and  Mas- 

ter of  my  thoughts  and  acts. 

3.  Confession  of  Jesus  as  my  Lord.     Rom.  10;  o 

10  (R.  v.). 

4.  Looking  to  the  Lord  Jesus  for  guidance  in  all 

I  do. 

5.  Obedience  to  the  will  of  the  Lord  Jesus  as  far 

as  His  will  is  known.     Luke  6 :  46. 

6.  Study  of  the  words  of  Jesus  in  order  to  know 

His  will. 

7.  Dependence  upon  Jesus  and  not  upon  self  or 

others  for  strength  to  do  His  will. 

•*GOD   CALLING,    YET'* 

Text:  Gen.  6:  3. 

I.     God  calls    in    many  ways.      Rev.    22:17;    Acts 
2:  21;  2  Pet.  3:  9. 
I.  Calls    by    pastors;     Sunday   School    teachers. 


3^2  SUGGESTIVE   OUTLINES 

parents'    prayers,    Bible,    songs,   memoriea 
His  Spirit. 
a.  Unusual  ways.      Still    small  voice.      Cyclone, 
Lightning.   Death  of  child  or  loved  one.    Loss 
of  business,  etc.     Heb.  12:6;  Eccle.  7:  14. 

II.  God  is  always  calling. 

But  man  is  not  always  heeding!  The  heart 
hardens  like  the  hand — like  the  bone — like 
the  face.  **  While  the  lamp  holds  out  to 
burn,  the  vilest  sinner  may  return."  But 
WILL  he?  May  is  God's  part!  Will  is  man's 
part!     John  7:17;  Heb.  4:  2. 

III.  God  is  able^  willing^  ready  to  save. 

But  man  is  difree  moral  agent .     **Tho'  God  be 

good  and  free  be  heaven,  no  force  divine  can 

love  compel." 
There  are  two  parties  to  every  gift — the  giver 

and  the  receiver.     John  i:  11,  12,  13;  Rom. 

10:  13.  — c.  N.  H. 

"CONVICTED,     BUT     NOT    REGENERATED" 
(Texts:  Acts  24:  25,  and  John  3:  5.) 

I.  This  was  Felix's  chance  of  heaven.  He  lost  it — 
no  other  ever  came.  Heb.  3:  15;  2  Cor.  6:  2;  Heb. 
2:3;  Eccle.  12:  I. 

I.  It  is  a  terrible  thing  to  be  lost.  Shut  out;  not 
shut  in,  John  8:21;  Rev.  21:8;  2  Thess. 
1 :  7-9. 

II.  Paul,  a  prisoner,  ^^ reasoned**  before  Felix,  a 
prince  in  purple. 

I.  Religion  is  the  only  reasonable  thing!     It  is  not 
Just  emotion,  prayer,  song,  ceremony,  creed. 


SUGGESTIVE   OUTLINES  323 

It  IS  that  and  more;  it  is  life — life  as  Christ 
would  have  us  live  it.  Rom.  12:1,  2;  Isa. 
i:  18. 
a.  Paul  reasoned  of  righteousness.  Yet  he  talked 
** Christ  and  Him  crucified."  Rom.  14:17; 
Rom.  10:  4. 

3.  Of  temperance  in  self -control,     John  8:  32-36. 

4.  Oi  judgment.     Heb.  9:27;  Heb.  10:27;  i  Pet. 

4:  17;  John  5:  22. 
III.     '^^Xm  trembled.     The  devils  ^^/^Vz/^^ and  trembled, 
but  were  not  saved.     One  must  not  only  tremble, 
but  turn  from  sin  to  Christ.     '''Almost  persuaded" — 

but  LOST. 

C.   N.  H. 


"SALVATION:"     A  LAWYER'S  VIEW 

Text:  "How  shall  we  escape,  if  we  neglect  so  great  salvation?" 
—Heb.  2:  3. 

I.  The  great  doctrine  of  jurisprudence,  as  of  grace,  is 
neglect.     Not  reject,  spurn,  abuse — just  neglect. 

1.  Companion  texts.     **What  shall  it  profit  a  man 

if  he  gain  the  whole  world  and  lose  his  own 
soul?" 

2.  **What  is  the  hope  of  the  hypocrite,  tho'  he  hath 

gained^  when  God  shall  take  away  his  life?" 

II.  God's  salvation  is  measured  by  His  gift  —  "His 
ONLY  Begotten  Son."  Saved  from  what?  The 
penalty  of  sin !     The  guilt  of  sin !     The  power  of  sin ! 

X,  To  make  it  practical.  Saved  so  you  won't 
think  only  of  self — so  you  won't  lie,  cheat, 
drink,  swear,  gamble,  use  tobacco  or  play 
cards  or  dance. 


324  SUGGESTIVE  OUTLINES 

a.  Saved  to  what?      Life  abundant  here.      Ja^^^ 
lo:  10.     Life  eternal  hereafter.     John  17:  ♦,. 
III.     How?     By  accepting  Jesus  Christ   as  Savioi* 
When?     Now/     Rom.   10:13;   John   i:ii,    12,    j; 
Rom.  10: 10.  — c.  N.  H. 


"CHRIST   OR   THE   ROBBER?" 

Text:  *'  Whosoever  committeth  sin  is  a  servant  of  sin."     "Th 
Holy  Ghost  ts  given  to  them  that  obey."— Matt.  27.  17  and  22. 

One  is  either  a  child  of  obedience  or  a  child  of  dis- 
obedience ;  of  God  or  of  the  devil ! 

I.  Man  can  choose  Christ.  If  he  does  not  choose 
Christ  he  has  chosen  the  Robber.  Paul,  Peter,  John, 
chose  Christ ;  Judas,  Felix,  Pilate,  chose  the  Robber. 
Life  is  made  up  of  decisions;  they  soon  become 
permanent, 

I.  Pilate  was  influenced  by  his  friends  against 
Jesus.  But  no  one  could  crucify  Jesus  that 
day  but  Pilate.  You  alone!  The  world — 
society,  ambition,  politics — says:  "Crucify 
Him!"  But  hold!  Let's  wait  until  we  have  a 
reason  for  it.  Pilate  wanted  the  world's 
friendship.  He  got  it,  but  oh — the  price  he 
paid! 

II.  The  Robber  to-day!  Worldliness — love  of  money, 
love  of  ease,  love  of  pleasure,  cards,  theaters,  danc- 
ing, slander,  liquor,  tobacco,  evil  thinking,  etc.  All 
cry  out  as  of  old:  *' Crucify  Him!" 

III.  I  choose  Christ!  *'As  for  me,  my  house  will  serve 
the  Lord."  *'Take  the  world,  but  give  me  Jesus." 
**A  day  in  Thy  courts  is  better  than  a  thousand," 
Good-bye,  Robber!     Come  in,  Jesus! 


SUGGESTIVE   OUTLINES  325 

**GOD'S   JUSTICE   AND   HIS   MERCY" 
(Text:  John  3:  16.) 

I.  Preach  justice,  wrath  from  standpoint  of  Love. 
"God  is  love."  "Everyone  that  loveth  is  born  of 
God"  (i  John  4:  7).  But  God  is  2X^0  Justice.  For 
our  God  is  a  consuming  fire"  (Heb.  12  :  29).  Wrath, 
justice,  judgment  are  more  often  mentioned  in  the 
Bible  than  love ! 

II.  The  test  of  love  is  something  surrendered.  God 
gave  ^'' His  only  Begotten  Son.*' 

1.  The  purpose:  "That  man  might  not  perish.** 

2.  But  by  receiving  "the  gift"  have  everlastingXxi^. 

3.  In  law  it  '"  presumed  that  a  man  will  not  do  an 

idle  thing.  What  an  idle,  absurd,  foolish 
thing  God  did  in  giving  His  Son  to  die  upon 
the  cross — unless  there  was  a  purpose !  What 
other  purpose  could  there  be  than  that  stated? 

III.  In  law,  mercy  is  never  asked  until  guilt  is  ad- 
mitted. 

I.  Sin  is  against  God.  Hence  only  God  can  for- 
give sin.  (Ps.  51:4).  "Without  shedding  of 
blood  is  no  remission."     Heb.  9:  22. 

— C.   N.  H. 


TOPICS    AND    TEXTS    FOR    SERMONS 
AND   BIBLE   READINGS 

Genesis  i :  26;  i  Cor.  15  :  45.     The  Two  Adams. 

5:24.     Walking  with  God.     (The  Secret  of  Abid- 
ing Peace.) 

5 :  24.     How  to   move  in  the    Best    Society,   or 
Walking  with  God. 

7:1.     Noah  and  the  Deluge. 
Exodus  8:  10.     The  Fool's  Day. 

12:  13.     The  Power  of  the  Blood. 
Numbers  13:  30.     Faith  of  Caleb  and  Joshua. 

32:  23.     Found  Out. 
Joshua  I.     Courage  and  Enthusiasm. 
I  Samuel  8:4.     ''Disobedience." 
I  Kings  18.     Elijah  at  Carmel. 

18:  21.     ''How  Long  Halt  Ye?" 

18:  38.     A  Mighty  Prayer. 
Psalms  1 :  1-3.     God's  Picture  of  a  Happy  Man. 

14:  I.     The  Fool's  Creed. 

32 ;  I.     How  to  Be  a  Happy  Christian. 

51.     David's  Confession  and  Prayer. 

51 :  10.     *' Create  in  Me  a  Clean  Heart,  O  God.** 

62:  II.     Power:  Its  Source  and  How  to  Obtain  It. 

103 J  3.  5-     **II^  Forgiveth  Our  Iniquities." 

Ji9»  59»  6o-     "A.  Message  for  the  Dying  Year. 

119:126;  8:5,  6.     The  Need  of  a  General  Revival. 

139:23,24.      David's  Prayer:    ** Search   Me   and 
Know  Me." 

326 


TOPICS   AND   TEXTS  327 

Proverbs  8 :  36.     Our  Most  Dangerous  Enemy. 

11:  30.     Business  That  Always  Pays  and  That  Is 

Open  to  All. 
13:  15.     A  Hard  Road. 
14:9.     The  Awfulness  of  Sin.      ** Fools  make  a 

mock  at  Sin. ' ' 
27:  I.     Uncertain. 
Isaiah  9 :  6.     The  Wonderful  Jesus. 

49:  24,  25.     *' Christ  as  a  Deliverer.' 

53:  4,  5.     **Death  of  Christ." 

55:6.     "Seek  Ye    the   Lord    While    He  May  Be 

Found." 
55:6;  Heb.  11:6;    Hos.    10:12.     A  Wise  Secret. 
57:7.     Seven  Facts  about  the  Way  of  the  Wicked. 
57: 21.     Peace. 
Jeremiah  17:  9.     The  Heart  of  Man. 
21:8.     Two  Ways. 
23:28.     The  Bible:   Wherein  It  Differs  from  All 

Other  Books. 
23:29;  Heb.   4:12;    Luke  8:11.     The   Power  of 

the  Word. 
33:  17.     God's  Power  to  Save  a  Drunkard. 
Ezekiel  33' i^-     *'Why  Will  Ye  Die?" 

3$:  18.     A  Mad  Choice. 
Daniels.     A   King's   Folly  and    What    It    Cost:    A 

Tragedy. 
Amos  4:12.     A  Great  Meeting  for  Saint  and  Sinner, 

Believer  and  Infidel. 
Malachi  3:8.     A  Remarkable  Robbery. 
Matthew  4:  19.     A  Sermon  to  Christian  Workers. 
5 :  29.     Hell. 

6:  24.     **No  Man  Can  Serve  Two  Masters,"  etc 
7 : 6.     Hopeless  Cases. 


328  TOPICS   AND   TEXTS 

Matthew  7:13.     Paths  to  Perdition. 

7:  22,  23.     False  Hopes. 

10:  32.     The  Duty  of  the  Hour. 

11:  19.     A  Friend  Worth  Having. 

11:19.     A  True  Friend. 

11:  27-30.     *' Coming  to  Christ." 

11:28.     ''Come." 

II :  28.     The  Cure  for  All  Our  Woes. 

11:  28,  29.     Every  Man's  Great  Need  Met. 

12:  24-32.     Sin  against  the  Holy  Ghost. 

12:30.     With  or  Against:  Which? 

22:  14.     Speechless  before  God. 

22  :  42.     "What  Think  Ye  of  Christ?" 

23:  37,  38.     The  Failure  of  Jesus  Christ. 

24:  35.     Certainties  and  Uncertainties  about  the 
Future. 

24:  44.     "Be  Ye  also  Ready,  for  in  Such  an  Hour 
that  Ye  Think  Not  the  Son  of  Man  Cometh." 

27:22.     The  Great  Question  of  the  Day. 

27: 22.     Decision. 

27:  22.     The  Question  of  Questions. 
Mark  8 :  36.     An  Idiotic  Bargain. 

10:  26.     Then  Who  Can  Be  Saved? 

II :  22.     Have  Faith  in  God. 

13:  22,  23.     False  Christs  and  False  Prophets. 

13:  34.     "To  Every  Man  His  Work." 

14:  1-20.     Parable  of  the  Sower. 

14:  14.     "Compassion  of  Christ." 

15:  25,  26.     Who  Can  Be  Saved? 

16:  16.     How  to  Be  a  Daniel. 

16 :  16.     How  to  Be  Saved  and  How  to  Be  Damned. 
Luke  2:7.     No  Room  for  Christ. 

4:  18.     The  Blessed  Gospel. 


TOPICS   AND   TEXTS  329 

Luke  4:  18.     '*The  Gospel  in  the  New  Testament." 

5:  27.     Sudden  Conversions. 

7 :  48.     *  *  Thy  Sins  Are  Forgiven. " 

7:50.     A  Woman  Who  Is  Sure  to  Be  in  Heaven. 

9.     Losing  Sight  of  Self. 

10:  25-37.     Christ  the  Good  Samaritan. 

12 :  20.     God's  Estimate  of  a  Certain  Rich  Man 

14:  18.     Profitless  and  Wicked  Manufacturing. 

15 :  4-7.     The  Lost  Sheep. 

15:11-24.     Prodigal  Son. 

15:14-23.     The  Road  from  Starvation  to  Plenty. 

16:  25.     ''Retribution." 

17:32.  A  Woman  Wh  Should  Never  Be  For- 
gotten. 

18:  9-14.  A  ''Good  Man"  Lost,  and  a  "Bad  Man" 
Saved. 

18:  22.     "One  Thing  Thou  Lackest." 

18:35-43;  Mark  10:  46-52.     Bartimaeus. 

19:1-10.  An  Extraordinary  Case :  A  Rich  Man 
Saved. 

19: 10.     "Christ's  Mission  to  the  World." 

19:  10.     Saved  or  Lost. 

19:  14.     High  Treason. 

24:  34.     Easter  Promises  and  Warnings. 

24 :  49.  The  Christian  Worker  and  the  Holy  Spirit. 
John  i:  38;  Matt.  6:  33.     "What  Seek  Ye?" 

1:41.     Working  for  Christ. 

2 :  i-ii.     Christ's  Miracle  at  Cana  of  Galilee. 

3:  7.     "Ye  Must  Be  Born  Again." 

3:  16.  "For  God  so  loved  the  world  that  He  gave 
His  only  begotten  Son,  that  whosoever  believ- 
eth  in  Him  should  not  perish,  but  have  ever- 
lasting life." 


330  TOPICS   AND   TEXTS 

John  3:  i6.     Amazing-  Love. 
3;  16.     God  Is  Love. 

3:  16.     The  Most  Wonderful  Thing  in  the  World 
3:  16.     The  World's  Greatest  Gift:  Enterprise. 
3:  18.     Condemned. 
4:  14.     Eternal  Satisfaction. 
5  :  40.     A  Strange  Refusal. 
6:  35.     Christ,  the  Bread  of  Life. 
6:  44.     God's  Cables. 
8:  32.     Freedom  for  All  Men. 
8:36.     Liberty. 

9.  Christ  Restoring  the  Blind. 

10.  Christ,  the  Good  Shepherd. 
10.     The  Shepherd  and  His  Sheep. 
12:  42,  43.     Open  Confession  of  Christ. 
14:6.     The  Way  to  God. 

15  :  9.     An  Open  Door. 
15:  25.     A  Strange  Hatred. 
15 :  25.     *'They  Hated  Me  v^ithout  a  Cause." 
16:  5.     Where  Will  You  Spend  Eternity? 
18:  38.     Some  Absolute  Certainties. 
18:40.     A  Strange  Election. 
19:30.     '*It  Is  Finished." 
Acts  1 :  8.     Witnessing  for  Christ. 
2:  1-4.     Pentecostal  Power. 
4:  12.     No  Salvation  except  in  Christ. 
4:  12.     An  Imperative  and  Immediate  Need. 
4:  31-35.     A  Model  Church. 
6:7.     Stephen. 
8 :  4.     Spreading  the  Gospel. 
9:  i;  22:  10.     A  Brilliant  and  Bitter  Infidel  Con- 
verted. 
11:13,  14.     Sincere  but  Not  Saved. 


TOPICS  AND  TEXTS  331 

Acts  11:  13,  14.     What  a  Man  Must  Believe  and  What 

He  Must  Do  to  Be  Saved. 
13:  39.     Taking  God  at  His  Word. 
16:  25-34.     In  Jail  at  Midnight. 
16:  30.     Genuine  Salvation  and  How  to  Get  It. 
16:30-31.     A  Plain  Answer  to  a  Great  Question. 
16:  33.     All  in  One  Hour. 
17:30.     "God  commandeth  all  men  everywhere 

to  repent."     A  New  Year's  Call. 
18:  8.     Family  Religion. 
20:  31.     Love  for  Souls. 
24:  25,  R.  V.     A  Fatal  Mistake. 
26:  28.     A  King's  Costly  Folly. 
Romans  1:1.     A  Servant  of  Jesus  Christ. 
1 :  16.     God's  Power  at  Man's  Disposal. 
1 :  16.     Salvation  for  Everybody 
i:  22.     Where  Infidelity  and  Liberalism  FaiL 
3:22.     Man's  Great  Failure. 
3:  22,  23.     The  Universal  Equality  of  Men. 
5 :  6.     God's  Love  for  Sinners. 
6:23.     An   Easy   Question   for  a  Wise    Man  to 

Answer. 
6:23.     Outrageous  AVages. 
6:23.     Eternal    Life:    What  It   Is  and   How  to 

Get  It. 
8:  17.     Joint  Heirs  with  Christ. 
9:  20.     Man's  Right  Attitude  before  God. 
10:  I.     How  to  Get  Men  Saved. 
10:13.     Saved  by  a  Cry. 
I  Corinthians  i:  18,  31.     "God's  Instrumentalities.'* 
1:27.     Weak  Things  Employed  to  Confound  the 

Mighty. 
3:11.     The  Only  Foundation. 


332  TOPICS  AND   TEXTS 

1  Corinthians  5:6,  7.     Little  Sins. 

13.     Love. 

13:5.     Self -Examination. 

15:16.     Some    Certainties    Connected    with    the 

Resurrection  of  Christ. 
15:57.     Glorious  Victory. 

2  Corinthians  2:11.     The  Devices  of  the  Devil. 

6:  17,  18,  R.  V.     Separation. 

11:13-15.     Ministers  Who  Are  Doing  the  Devil's 
Work. 
Galatians  3:  10,  R.  V.     A  Wonderful  Contrast. 

5:22.     Fruits  of  the  Spirit. 

6:7.     •  *  Be  Not  Deceived.  * ' 

6:9.     Perseverance. 
Ephesians  1:2,  12.     Men  Out  of  Christ.     Their  Condi- 
tion To-day. 

2:  12.     No  Hope. 

4:30.     Grieving  the  Spirit. 

5:  15.     Fools  in  God's  Sight. 

5:16.     Redeeming  the  Time. 

5:  25-27.     Christ  and  the  Church. 
Philippians  3:7,8.     A  Great  Sacrifice  for  a  Greater 
Gain. 

4.     Seven  Privileges  of  the  Believer. 

4:  4.     How  to  Be  Always  Happy. 

1  Timothy  i :  6.     The  One  Thing  to  Get. 

1:15.     Why  Jesus  Christ  Came  into  the  World. 
1:15.      One    Thing    That    Every    Man    Should 

Believe. 
4:8.     A  Paying  Investment. 

2  Timothy  2.     God's  Pattern  for  a  Christian  Worker. 

2:15.     An  Approved  Workman. 
3:  14,  15.     Saving  the  Children. 


TOPICS   AND   TEXTS  333 

Hebrews  2:3.     A  Startling  Question. 

2 :  3.     No  Escape. 

3:  13.     Hardened. 

7:  25.     Christ  Mighty  to  Save. 

9:27.     The  Judgment. 

10:  11;  13:  14.     Heaven:  What  Sort  of  a  Place  It 
Is  and  How  to  Get  There. 

12:25;  10:28.     Three  Classes. 
James  4:  2.     The  Power  of  Prayer. 

4:  3.     Hindrances  to  Prayer. 

5:  16,  R.  V.     The  Prayer  of  the  Righteous  Man. 

1  Peter  i :  4.  5.  A  Great  Inheritance  and  How  to  Get  It. 

1:8.     How  to  Be  Unspeakably  Happy. 
1 :  8.     Why  Christians  Sing. 
2:21.     In  His  Steps. 

2  Peter  2:1.     Infamous  Ingratitude.    ' 

3 :  9,  R.  V.     Not  God's  Fault. 
I  John  3:15,  17.     The  World. 

4:  8.     God  Is  Love. 

5.     The  Glory  of  the  Believer  as  Seen  in  i  John  5. 

5:  15.     The  Prayer  That  God  Hears,  or  How  to 
Pray  so  as  to  Get  What  You  Ask. 
Jude  20.     Praying  in  the  Holy  Spirit. 
Revelation  3:  17.     Blind  Eyes. 

12:9.     How  the  Devil  Fools  Men. 

22:  17.     God's  Last  Call. 

Christ's  Call  to  Peter. 

John  1 :  40. 
Matt.  14:  28. 
Luke  9:  28. 
John  6 :  66. 
Luke  22:  45. 


134  TOPICS   AND   TEXTS 

Christ— The  Bread  of  Life. 

Christ  in  the  Old  Testament. 

Confession  of  Sin. 

Divinity  of  Christ. 

Five  Things  That  No  Man  Can  Do. 

1.  Romans  5 :  6-8. 

2.  Romans  3 :  20. 

3.  John  14:  6. 

4.  John  6 :  44. 

5.  Hebrews  12:  14, 
Foundations  of  Faith,  The. 

I  Peter  3:  15. 

Matt.  24:  35. 

John  9 :  25. 

John  4:  29. 
Fourfold  View  of  Christ. 

Gal.  3:  13. 

Gal.  2 :  20. 

Rom.  15:  14. 

John  14:  1-13. 
Four  Skeptics :  Nathaniel,  Thomas,  Pilate,  the  King's 

Courtier. 
God's  Attitude  toward  the  Wicked. 

1.  Matt.  5  :  44. 

2.  Heb.  11:6. 

3.  John  3:  16. 

4.  Rom.  5 :  6-8. 

5.  Ps.    7:  II. 

6.  Is.  57:  21. 

7.  Ps.  86:5. 

8.  2  Pet.  3 :  9. 

9.  Heb.  7 :  25. 
Hebrews  11. 

Holy  Spirit,  The. 


TOPICS   AND   TEXTS  33S 

Holy  Spirit  and  the  Word,  The. 

Hope. 

How  to  Study  the  Bible  so  as  to  Get  the  Most  Good 

out  of  It. 
Importance  of  Bible  Study. 
John  the  Baptist. 
Joseph  of  Arimathaea. 
Jesus  and  Sinners. 

1.  Luke  15:  2. 

2.  Matt.  9: 13,  R.  V. 

3.  Luke  19:  10. 

4.  I  Tim.  i:  15. 

5.  Rom.  5  :  8. 
Life  and  Character  of  Jacob. 
Life  and  Character  of  Joshua. 
Life  and  Character  of  Peter. 
Nicodemus. 

Power  of  the  Holy  Spirit. 
Psalm  Thirty-second. 
Priceless  Possessions. 

1.  Eph.  1:7,  2. 

2.  Phil.  3:8,  9- 

3.  Rom.  5  :  I. 

4.  I  John  2:  I. 

5.  Eph.  3:18. 

6.  John  6:  47. 
Salvation  Free.     Is.  55:  i,  2. 
Salvation  Full.     Heb.  7:25. 
Salvation  Forever.     Heb.  5 :  9. 
Seven  Comes. 

Isa.  55:1. 
Isa.  55:3. 
Mark  6:  31. 
Matt.  11:  28. 


336  TOPICS   AND   TEXTS 

Some  Reasons  Why  Every  Sensible  Man  Should  Be  a 

Christian. 
Six  **One  Things,"  The. 

1.  Mark  lo:  21. 

2.  John  9:  25. 

3.  Luke  10:  42. 

4.  Matt.  20:8. 

5.  Phil.  3:  13. 

6.  Joshua  21 :  45. 
Twenty-third  Psalm. 

Three  Fires. 

Matt.  3:11. 

1  Cor.  13:  15. 

2  Thess.  1 :  29. 
What? 

Mark  8 :  36. 

I  Pet.  4:  17. 

Matt.  27:  22. 
What  It  Is  to  Believe  on  Christ. 
What  Christ  Is  to  Those  Who  Believe  on  Him- 

1.  I  Pet.  2 :  24. 

2.  2  John  2:  I. 

3.  Rom.  7:  24,  25. 

4.  Matt.  II :  28. 

5.  John  10:  28. 
Why  Jesus  Christ  Is  Coming  Again. 

Why  I  Believe  that  Jesus  Is  the  Son  of  God. 
Why  the  King  Came. 


I. 

Matt. 

5: 

17. 

2. 

Matt. 

9: 

13. 

3. 

Luke 

19; 

:  10. 

4. 

John 

10: 

10. 

5. 

Mark 

10 

:45. 

6. 

John 

10: 

28. 

Printed 

in  the  Unitec 

I  States  of 

America 

Princeton  Theological 


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